


Beloved

by kyrdwyn



Series: Beloved [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death, Dubious Comic Book Science, F/M, M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-19
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2017-11-03 22:04:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 30,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/386455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyrdwyn/pseuds/kyrdwyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim Drake finds himself in another universe, where everything is changed and no one is as they should be. Not even his memories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beloved

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: AU. Dark AU. Pre-story death of main character. Off screen torture of a main character.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had his Beloved returned?

The door rattled and beyond it voices yelled. Tim struggled against the chains that bound him to the floor, determined to be somewhat upright when his captors came back in for another round of 'torture the Red Robin'. Not that they ever called him that. He hadn't been in costume when he'd somehow managed to set off a device found in an old store room of Wayne Industries. The guards in the new location he'd ended up in had recognized him as Tim Drake immediately, and stunned Tim with tasers before he could react. He'd woken up in this cold cell, chained to the metal post in the center of the room, dripping from the cold water used to revive him. A cold voice, one that Tim's mind insisted was Dick's, though Tim refused to believe it, had said to "interrogate Drake, but keep him alive until He returns."

Tim didn't know how long ago that had been - days maybe, but it all blurred together in a haze of pain and unconsciousness.

The door burst open and Tim tried not to flinch from the light.

"Holy--" someone shouted.

"Get Lord Todd," someone else said as hands suddenly came around Tim. "Can you stand, my lord?" a third voice asked.

Tim whimpered as a hand jostled a cracked rib, closing his eyes in pain. "Careful," the second voice ordered. 

"Tim?" a familiar voice asked. Tim opened his eyes to see Jason Todd standing in front of him, a look of concern on his face. Tim blinked stupidly, trying to figure out how Jason had broken out of Blackgate. "Jesus, Tim," Jason said softly, reaching out to cup Tim's face as the others around him, all dressed in ninja black, managed to get Tim's chains undone. Tim sagged forward when the pressure of the chains was released, and found himself held up by Jason. "I've got you," Jason said.

"J... Jason?" Tim asked. 

To Tim's shock, Jason tilted Tim's head up gently. Tim saw his face reflected in Jason's eyes, the dirt and blood that smeared his skin. Jason leaned down and tenderly pressed a kiss to Tim's bloodstained temple. "I'm here, Beloved. I've got you."

Tim tried to wrap his brain around the endearment, but when Jason shifted, the pain spiked, and Tim cried out before the world went black.

* * *

Jason caught Tim as he passed out, handing him over to his chief lieutenant, Z. "Careful with him," Jason ordered. Was it possible? Had the Batman used the Lazarus Pit on Tim, reviving his enemy to torment him? It sounded like something the sadistic Bat would do.

"Yes, my lord," Z replied. He took Tim in a princess carry and Owens and Prudence flanked him, weapons ready, as they headed out to the extraction point while the rest of the ninja surrounded Jason. The leader of the retrieval team arrived in the hallway, carrying a bag.

"We have the device, my lord."

"Good," Jason said, headed for the exit. His ninja fanned out around him. Jason strode boldly as befitted his position. He would not hide from the Batman or his renegade lover Raptor. 

The Wayne Enterprises guards (thugs, Jason thought with a scowl) lay unconscious on the ground as Jason and his raiding party left the compound. A VTOL transport plane waited for them outside. Once the doors were closed, Jason signaled for the pilot to take off and moved to where Tim lay on the bunk reserved for medical use. The field medic was already cutting off the tattered remains of Tim's shirt. She gently turned Tim onto his side to pull the shirt out from beneath him and Jason reached out to prevent Cass from turning Tim back over. 

"They will heal, my lord," Cass said in her soft voice.

Jason had seen the blood and the cuts in the shirt in the cell, but he hadn't realized how badly Tim had been sliced from knives of his captors. But more the problem was what Jason didn't see. Tim's left shoulder, other than the cuts, was white and unmarred. Jason reached out and gently ran a finger over a patch of intact skin. No tattoo of a dragon curled around a fox, his head resting protectively on the fox's back, graced Tim's flesh. A similar tattoo to the one that graced the back of Jason's left shoulder, where the fox rested his head protectively on the dragon.

Jason swallowed. This wasn't his Beloved, his Timothy Drake. His Tim was still dead.

Who the hell was this?


	2. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That is not Timothy."

Jason stood at the window into the infirmary's isolation chamber, watching as the doctors, and Cass, treated the Tim Drake they'd retrieved from the Batman's compound. Jason had ordered the patient restrained, just in case this Tim had the same skills his Tim did. Cass was the only trained fighter in the room, and the few seconds it took the patient to get out of the restraints would give her time to get the non-combatants out and Jason in to join the fight.

"Jason."

The familiar voice made him turn to see his mother striding down the hallway, accompanied by her long time lover. The green and gold cloak of her father's that she'd inherited flowed around her as she came to stand at Jason's side. "You have him in restraints? Do you think the Batman compromised him mentally? Or are you worried about the effects of the Lazarus Pit?"

Jason shook his head. "That's not Tim."

Talia al Ghul, Head of the Demon, looked at her son sharply. "Jason, that is clearly Timothy."

Slade Wilson came up on Jason's other side. "You think the Bat used plastic surgery on someone?"

"I don't know what happened," Jason said. "But the man in that bed does not have Tim's tattoos on his shoulder or ankle. The Batman would not have been that careless if he were replacing Tim with one of his own agents. Additionally, his body has more scars than Tim's does, also a sloppy job for the Batman or Raptor as the scars are older than whatever they just put him through. And . . ." he glanced at Slade. "His right eye is real. No sign of it ever having been removed or replaced with an artificial one."

Slade didn't react, but Jason knew that had to touch a nerve within the man. Tim had sought Slade out as a teacher after his eye had been destroyed by Batman. Slade had an obvious affection for his student, if one knew how to see Slade's brand of affection. 

"So where did this Timothy come from, then?" Talia asked, putting a hand on Jason's shoulder. She and Slade were the only two who knew Tim had died from the wounds Raptor had given him, and who knew where Tim was buried. Jason had wanted to avoid the Bat trying to torment them with a resurrected Tim Drake. But somehow, the bastard was anyway.

"I don't know, Mother," Jason said. "My contacts in the Batman's organization are looking deeper, but as far as they knew, this Tim Drake was my . . ." Jason swallowed and leaned into his mother's touch before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Raptor is rather upset we rescued this Tim before the Batman returned from his business trip."

"He would be," Slade growled. "Batman will be pissed."

"Unless this is a ploy, in which case he's just pretending to be upset that we rescued their faux-Timothy," Talia said. A carefully manicured fingernail tapped on the ledge of the observation window. "Are you going to interrogate him, or shall I have someone else do it?"

Jason considered the situation. "I'll do it. I know Tim's reactions better than anyone other than Slade. I'll know if they aren't right."

"Have Cassandra watch from the observation window," Talia ordered as the medic in question and the staff left the isolation room. "She will be able to tell if he's lying, no matter how good it might be at faking Tim's mannerisms."

"I'll be watching as well. But don't go unarmed, kid. If he's a plant of the Bat and his pet Raptor, we don't know what kind of skills he has." Slade hadn't turned from the window as he said this.

"I won't," Jason said. If this was a trap, a ploy to kill the Head of the Demon or her son, then Tim or no Tim, Jason would kill the man himself.

"What game are you playing, Beloved?" Talia mused quietly. On Jason's other side, Slade very obviously didn't stiffen, but Jason knew he was as disturbed as Jason was that Talia still referred to the Batman as her Beloved, despite everything he'd done to the al Ghul family.

Inside the isolation chamber, the patient who looked like Tim shifted on the bed, coming back to consciousness. His forehead creased as he tugged at a restraint, and his eyes opened. He frowned as he took in the isolation room, the restraints on his ankles and wrists.

Talia turned to Jason. "You'd best go in soon, my son."

Jason nodded, not really looking forward to this. Talia reached out and cupped his cheek in her hand, drawing him in so she could press a kiss to his free cheek. "If that is truly not your Timothy, we will raze Wayne Manor to the ground to avenge this wrong," she promised. "In the meantime, I will investigate Timothy's resting place, to ensure he is undisturbed."

Jason leaned into his mother's touch. "Thank you, Mother," he replied. He pulled away and bowed to her before heading to the door into the isolation room. He paused for a second, hand on the door handle, and ran through a calming breathing exercise before he opened his eyes and the door and faced the man who was not his Beloved.


	3. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He took on _more_ children as cannon fodder?"

Talia looked up from her computer when Slade entered the office. He looked grim, which to her eyes meant he wanted to kill someone. Probably her Beloved. She couldn't blame him. There were days she'd take the Batman's head herself.

"It's not Timothy." A statement, not a question. Slade wouldn't be so angry if it were his prized pupil.

Slade settled into the chair across from her. "It's not our Timothy, no. But it is _a_ Timothy Drake. One whose first question was how had Jason broken out of jail."

Talia gripped the edge of her desk. " _What?_ "

"You remember that crackpot theory put out by that physicist a few years back? Ray Palmer? He said there were multiple versions of Earth, different universes where different choices resulted in either minor or massive changes to the time line."

Talia sat back. "Oh, like one where I kicked you out of my bed that first night instead of welcoming you, and as a result you start working with the Bat?"

Slade snorted. "Something like that."

"So this Timothy is from one of these alternate worlds." Talia considered that. "How is Jason taking it?"

"Not well," Slade said with his usual understatement. "Kid's not showing it, but you know part of him was hoping this was his Beloved brought back to him."

"I know," Talia said softly. "But the grave was undisturbed, still unmarked, and the guards set to monitor it reported no sightings of anyone who showed any interest in the grave. Short of exhuming the body, I think we have to presume our Timothy is still at rest."

Slade's good eye closed. "Yeah," he said. "But now there's this kid with his face in the infirmary, a kid who the Bat and his pet think is Jason's Beloved." He opened his eye and looked at Talia. "They're going to hunt this kid down, and fact that Jason rescued him won't make the kid's life easier. Especially if they get him back and discover that is he from an alternate Earth. I don't think we want the Bat or his people taking over another Earth, or getting reinforcements from a counterpart."

Talia tapped a finger on her desk top. "What does he know of our Earth?"

"Jason was careful to question him without giving away much, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's figured it out. Despite being doped up to be more amenable to answering questions than he would have been stone sober. Cass's little contribution," Slade added with a smirk. A smirk that quickly disappeared. "He said he was the Red Robin, formerly the third Robin to Batman."

Talia stilled. "He took on _more_ children as cannon fodder?"

Slade nodded. "Five, according to that Drake in there. But he's never heard of Raptor. Grayson's called Nightwing over there." He paused. "He also said that Jason had been Robin, too."

Talia stood and paced the room. The idea of Jason as Robin was ridiculous. Her son had been meant for greater things than sidekick to a man who'd never gotten past the death of his parents. What had her counterpart in that universe been thinking? Something to ponder later. For now, they had a living Tim Drake in their compound who served at the Bat's side. "If this Timothy Drake been trained by the Bat, even an alternate Bat, he'll know how he thinks, how he plans. This Timothy could be a very valuable ally if he could be persuaded to our cause."

"You'd be asking him to overthrow his teacher," Slade said. "If he's anything like our Tim, you'll get a very violent negative answer." Slade's smirk returned, and Talia knew he was thinking of the fight between Raptor and the Dragon, Timothy's costumed persona, when Raptor had tried to lure the Dragon to the Bat's side. Raptor hadn't realized that he'd burned those bridges long before he and the Dragon had fought. Talia often wondered if Raptor knew that the ten year old kid he'd turned over to the Bat for sport had grown up to be the Dragon, Beloved of the Demon's Heir, one of Talia's top assassins.

Talia settled on top of her desk, crossing her legs and looking at Slade. "We'll need to discover what his world is like. We need to know what his Batman is like. If he's the totalitarian dictator of Gotham like ours or if he's something more benign, something that would shock Timothy into joining us when he sees what our Batman is like."

Slade smirked more, leaning forward to press a kiss to Talia's knee, exposed by the skirt she wore. "As you wish, my lady," he murmured against her skin.

Talia chuckled and pulled Slade's head up to kiss him. "I thought I had a mission," he said, not pulling away.

"You do. Consider that a kiss for luck."

Slade smirked and stole another kiss before leaving. Talia sighed and picked up a picture she kept on her desk, that of Jason and Timothy. The joy on Jason's face in the picture was a distant memory compared to the pain she'd seen a few hours before, outside the infirmary. 

Talia set the picture back down. The mayor of Gotham was holding a fund raiser for his campaign next week, and that would be the perfect place to start their own campaign against the Batman and the Raptor, and perhaps to finally get revenge for her son's Beloved.


	4. Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim woke up slowly, his mind and body slightly disconnected.

_The black R-shaped shuriken flew past Tim's head, missing as he ducked and rolled and came up still running, the detonator still in his hand. Raptor was behind him, determined to stop him from escaping and blowing up the warehouse. Tim turned, knives flying from his hands toward Raptor. Tim ran out the door, Raptor following, shouting that he would kill the Dragon. Tim activated the detonator and ran for the waiting getaway vehicle. The resulting explosion and fireball was beautiful, ending a clear message to the Batman that he could not hide from the League of Assassins. The shock wave threw Tim against the car, his head bouncing off the metal side and he slid down to the pavement, dazed._

_"Dragon," a familiar voice said, hands sliding under his arms and pulling him into the car. "Slade, drive," the voice ordered as the door shut and Tim was cradled against a familiar body. He turned and nuzzled at his lover's throat. He opened his eyes, but closed them quickly when he saw two Jason Todds leaning over him._

_"Tim?" Jason asked. "Open your eyes for me, Beloved."_

_Tim shook his head, then winced as it suddenly throbbed. "No," he muttered._

_"Come on, Timmy," Jason crooned in an irritating saccharine voice._

_Tim opened his eyes, squinting until there was only one Jason in his vision. Jason's lips were close, and Tim couldn't help reaching up and pulling Jason into a kiss, sliding his tongue past Jason's lips, closing his eyes. Jason's tongue slid out to meet Tim's, and his hand slid up to the back of head, fingers gently gliding over the bump on the back of Tim's head. Tim winced into the kiss, pulling back._

_"Keep your eyes open, Tim," Jason said. "You can sleep back at the safe house, once Cass has checked you over."_

_Tim bit his lip, hoping the pain would help. He knew Jason was right, but he was so tired. "Think Raptor got out?" he asked._

_"Probably, much as we might wish it otherwise," Jason said, his hands running down Tim's torso, checking for injuries. "But at least we crippled his operations for a while. We'll have to thank Oracle for getting us the information."_

_"Whoever he or she is," Tim said. He rested his head against Jason's shoulder, eyelids drooping. Jason nudged him._

_"Ten more minutes, Beloved. You can hold out until then."_

_Tim would have nodded, but rather than risk the pain, he squeezed Jason's thigh in response, concentrating on his breathing. Ten more minutes to home, medics, debrief with the Head of the Demon and Slade, and then he could sleep, curled up with Jason in their bed. The best way to end any mission against the Bat and the Raptor._

* * *

Tim woke up slowly, his mind and body slightly disconnected. He reached out to find Jason's body, but only found the slightly scratchy sheets of the infirmary bed he was in. He blinked at the ceiling, trying to focus. He'd never been on a mission with Jason, never slept with Jason. The last time he'd seen Jason, the man had been in a bastardized Batsuit, trying to kill Tim, when he wasn't offering to let Tim be his Robin.

"Good, you're awake."

Tim forced himself not to tense at the familiar voice, oddly laced with what sounded like affection. Tim turned his head slowly to the door, seeing Slade Wilson, Deathstroke, leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed over his chest. Instead of his orange and blue and chain mail, Slade wore black slacks and a white button down shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms.

"You know who I am, kid?"

Tim's eyes narrowed. "You've tried to kill me on more than one occasion," he replied. "Be hard not to."

Something that looked like surprise - and hurt? - flashed briefly over Slade's face, and he sighed. "Tim," he began, looking at him with an odd expression on his face.

Tim didn't answer, turning his face so he looked straight up at the ceiling, watching Slade out of his peripheral vision. Slade stood there for a few moments longer, then came in and sat in the chair at Tim's bedside, forearms resting on his knees. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, sighing. After a few more moments of silence, he sighed and ran a hand over his hair. "If you're anything like my Timothy," he said softly, "then you've probably figured out a lot of things already. Like the fact that this isn't your universe, this isn't your Gotham."

Tim turned his head slightly to watch Slade. He had figured that out, mostly from Jason's too careful questioning. Too many questions about things Jason should have known, too many carefully oblique responses to Tim's questions. Tim knew he's been drugged at the time, making him more agreeable to the questioning. But his head was clear now.

"I met my Tim Drake when he was eleven years old. He sought me out for training, wanting to become the best he could be. Both of my sons had been killed, and I didn't want another brat hanging around, but he was persistent, and I admired that. I took him on as a student." Slade looked up at Tim, meeting his eyes. Tim blinked at the glassy sheen of unshed tears in Slade's good eye. "Timothy was my son. So whatever the other me did in your universe, I won't be doing here, Tim."

"What happened to your Tim?"

"That's.... going to require some background," Slade said with a sigh. "Jason says you were trained by Batman, his third Robin. There was only one Robin in our universe. Kid named Dick Grayson." He looked at Tim. "He the first Robin in yours?"

Tim nodded reluctantly. Seems Dick as the first Robin was a universal constant, or at least a constant between these two universes. 

Slade nodded back. "You told Jason that Grayson's now Nightwing in your world. In ours....the Joker killed him several years back, while he was still Robin. In his grief, Batman killed the Joker, then killed Ra's al Ghul so he could resurrect his Robin in a Lazarus Pit. Robin now goes by the name of Raptor."

Oh God, Dick. The Joker had killed Dick, and if Bruce had reacted to Dick getting shot by firing him, he just might have gone mad with grief over Dick dying, same as he had when Jason had died. But killing the Joker? Using a Lazarus Pit on Dick? That didn't sound like Bruce.

"Six months ago," Slade continued, "Tim intercepted Raptor trying to get into the safe house of one of our operatives. They fought, and Tim was badly injured. We got him out of there, but we all knew he wouldn't survive. Tim refused the Lazarus Pit. Died in his lover's arms." Slade looked away from Tim, hands clasped tightly together. "No one outside the inner core of our group knows Timothy died. When the Batman's men found you, they presumed you were our Timothy."

Tim swallowed. That had been Dick's voice he'd heard, then. Dick ordering him interrogated. Dick, who wasn't his big brother here. Bruce wasn't his mentor. No Alfred, no Barbara or Steph, no Titans..... at least, not as he knew them. Tim could very well be an enemy to everyone he loved here. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath against the emotion that threatened to choke him.

"Look, kid."

"Leave me alone."

"Tim... "

"I'm not your Timothy," Tim said sharply, turning his head and glaring at Slade. "I don't know what you want with me, but you've given me no reason to trust you. For all I know, everything you just told me is a fabrication to gain my trust." Part of him hoped it was, but the practical part of him knew Slade wasn't lying.

Slade regarded Tim thoughtfully, then he nodded and stood. "I'll come back tomorrow." He headed for the door.

"Don't bother," Tim said. Slade gave no indication he'd heard. Tim turned his face away from the one way glass next to the door and closed his eyes. He would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him weep for the idea that Dick had been killed, that Bruce had gone against his morals and killed for Dick.

It was a long time before he'd calmed down enough to sleep.


	5. Dead Man's Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim has a dead man's memories

Jason looked at the device they'd retrieved from the old Wayne Enterprises warehouse the night they'd also found the alternate world Timothy. "You're sure that's the purpose of the device?" he asked the League scientist. The young man nodded. "What about reversing the process, if it were activated?"

"Given time, I probably could. Whoever designed it seemed to want to return," Hiro said. "I'd want to verify that, before we could consider using it."

"Make it priority," Jason ordered. He started to walk away, then stopped. "You said that it is a one to one exchange. Meaning if you were to activate it, you be exchanged with the Hiro Okumura in that universe."

Hiro tapped a finger on the table. "Well, maybe. I can't tell if it just exchanges minds and leaves the bodies in their correct universes or if it changes everything."

Bodies, Jason would bet, given that the Timothy he'd rescued had no tattoos. "What would happen if someone used it who was no longer alive in one of the universes? Say, if Ra's al Ghul in another universe were to use a similar device to come here?"

"I don't know. Either the still living persons ends up here and no one is in the other universe, or the exchange doesn't happen at all if there can't be reciprocity." Hiro paused. "Or..."

"Or?" Jason asked.

"We know Ra's al Ghul did a lot of experimenting with the Lazarus Pit and it's effects in his quest for immortality. We know that he tried to transfer the injured White Ghost's consciousness into the body of a dead League member using the Pit."

Jason repressed a shudder at the memory. "The result being an insane White Ghost." Talia had beheaded the White Ghost after Ra's al Ghul's death. She couldn't afford to leave her half-brother alive and risk members of the League supporting him as the Head of the Demon instead of her.

"Right, but remember - it was the original White Ghost's body, healed, but the memories of the dead League member were mixed in with his own in the body. So, we know it's possible to have a dead man's memories put into a new body. Therefore it's possible that in a situation where one party was dead and the other alive, the exchange would happen - Person from Universe A transfers to Universe B, but instead of Person B going to Universe A, his memories transfer to Person A." Hiro glanced in the direction of the locked records room. "I'd have to check the original experiment notes to be sure on the White Ghost transfer, though. Just look at the notes, theoretical research only. I'm not going to do any experiments," he added when Jason began to scowl. His grandfather's experiments with the Lazarus Pit had been abominations in Jason's eyes, and in his mother's. The old man's quest for immortality had driven him insane more than once, and neither Talia nor Jason wanted to see it repeated. Neither had Tim, thus the refusal of the Pit at his death.

"I'll get you access to the records, but no actual experiments."

Jason left Hiro's lab and walked down the corridor to the living quarters of the League's safe house. He passed by his suite, as well as his mother's and Slade's suites, and stopped at the suite he had shared with Timothy. He'd moved after Tim's death, unable to handle staying in the rooms they'd shared together. He hadn't been in them since a few weeks after the secret funeral.

If Hiro's suppositions were right, would the Timothy who currently resided in the 'guest' quarters remember these rooms? Remember the hole in the wall made by one of Jason's knife blades when he'd thrown it during an argument? Remember the hidden compartment Jason's Tim had installed to hide their special toys? Jason bit his lip and leaned against the wall. He wasn't sure if he wanted this new Timothy to have his Timothy's memories, or if he was praying the younger man wouldn't.

Footsteps approached, and Jason's mind instantly identified them as his mother's. He took a breath and pushed himself upright to face her. Talia stopped close, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "What did Hiro say?"

Jason repeated the conversation, and Talia frowned. "Slade has been reviewing the surveillance on this Tim personally. What Hiro says about one body containing both sets of memories may be true. When this Timothy is asleep, he calls out for you often, when he does not seem to be in the grip of one nightmare or another that appears to be from our Timothy's experience. The loss of his eye, for example."

Jason shuddered. "He's not our Tim."

"No, but he somehow has our Tim's memories it seems. Jason," she said softly, "this could be the advantage we need to bring down the Batman and Raptor. A Timothy who has our Tim's memories and training, along with the memories and training of a Robin."

"I can't." He knew what his mother was going to ask. 

"Please, Jason. I know it's hard." His mother stroked his hair.

"You have no idea how hard it is," Jason snapped. "Come talk to me when Slade's been killed and another's taken his place. Or when my father shows up from another universe, with memories only you and he would know."

Talia very obviously didn't flinch, but Jason could see he'd stuck home. "There are days," Talia said softly, "I would give anything to have your father back, no matter what strange form it would take. But you're right, until I'm faced with that, I don't know how I would react. But Jason," she added, "we have the chance to get this Timothy on our side, and you are the only person who can help with with a good deal of the memories he will be facing."

Jason wanted to scream, but his mother was right. Tim had been closest to Slade and Jason. They would be the ones who had a better chance of helping this Timothy cope with the memories. "I'll talk to him," Jason finally conceded. "But I make no promises. You saw how he reacted to Slade."

Talia smiled. "It is a start, and hopefully, in his world, the two of you have a much better relationship than he and Slade."

Jason snorted. "Don't bet on that."

**

Tim jackknifed upright in the bed, doubling over as his eye throbbed in agony. His mind kept replaying the terror of being strapped to a table in the Batman's lair, the man (monster) himself lowered a scalpel to remove Tim's right eye. The eye he used to take pictures with. Pictures of Batman and Robin, now Batman and Raptor. Tim had screamed until the pain caused him to black out. He whimpered at another throb of pain from his eye. When Tim had finally woken from his faint back then, he'd been back on the same rooftop where Raptor had captured him, his eye sloppily bandaged and a business card for a local medical clinic tucked into his hand.

A familiar hand settled on Tim's back, rubbing gently, comfortingly. Tim leaned into the lover's side, breathing in Jason's comforting scent, letting it dispel the lingering aura of the dream. 

"Nightmare?"

"My eye," Tim said softly, knowing Jason would understand. 

The hand on his back hesitated for a second, then resumed stroking. "Just a dream, a memory."

"I know," Tim said. He looked up at Jason and smiled at the concern he saw there. Tim reached up and pulled Jason's head down and pressed his lips against his lover's.

Jason was strangely hesitant in the kiss, but after a few seconds, he melted into it, tongue coming out to stroke at Tim's. The kiss felt strange and familiar at the same time, the taste of his lover new yet remembered.

Jason's free hand came up to tentatively brush over Tim's jaw. Desire replaced the remnants of pain and fear the nightmare had brought. "Jay...." Tim murmured into the kiss.

Abruptly, Jason pulled away, standing. "I can't," he said, voice shaking. "You're not...."

Reality crashed down on Tim. This wasn't....he wasn't this world's Timothy, and the man in front of him was not the Jason Todd he knew. They weren't lovers. That kiss had been their first to Tim, but not to Jason.

"I'm sorry," Tim said. "God, I'm sorry." He had the same face, same name as Jason's dead lover. No wonder Jason looked stricken.

Jason turned and walked out of the room without a word, but not before Tim could the beginning of tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry," Tim said one last time as the door closed and locked behind Jason.

Tim collapsed back on the bed. He had to get home, to his home, his universe. Before he had more trouble remembering who he truly had been, and the memories of a dead man overwrote his own.


	6. Maternal Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What have you done to my son?"

"What have you done to my son?"

Tim blinked, but finished the kata he was working through before turning to face the woman in the doorway. He was not surprised to see Talia al Ghul standing there, arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed. He was surprised to see she wore the gold and green cloak that Ra's al Ghul had always worn in his universe. "I haven't done anything to Damian," Tim said. He hadn't seen the kid since he'd arrived in this universe.

Talia gave Tim a hard stare. "Not Damian," she said with a wave of her hand. "He made his bed and he will lie in it. No, I'm talking about Jason."

Tim stared back at Talia. "Jason is your son?" This...was about as odd as ending up in a universe where he was Slade Wilson's student, Jason Todd's lover.

Talia stalked across the room. "Yes, my son. Who is currently planning what can only be described as a suicide mission into Bat-infested Gotham, a mission he started planning less than five minutes after he left your room this morning."

Running a hand through his hair, Tim looked away from Talia. She looked as if she wanted to kill him, and he didn't doubt that she could. "I didn't... I...."

"What."

Tim took a deep breath. "I think I have his Tim's memories somehow. They come out in my dreams, and when I wake up, I don't....I don't always remember I'm not from this universe."

Talia stared, and then blew out a breath. "You believed you were his Timothy."

Tim nodded. "I'd had a nightmare, about my eye, and Jason was there, and I wanted him to help chase the nightmare away like he always did, so I kissed him. It took Jason pushing me away to remember that I'm not his Timothy."

Turning, Talia walked across the room, stopping to stare at a framed picture of the Gotham skyline, the only art in the room. "Tell me about your world, your Jason? Slade said that you said he'd been Robin to Batman."

"May I ask a question first?"

"I reserve the right not to answer."

Tim nodded. "Is Jason your biological son?"

Turning back to him, Talia stared. "He's not in your world." When Tim shook his head, Talia sighed. "Yes, Jason is my biological son. The only son I carried for me, because I loved his father more than my Beloved, the Batman. Damian was born to be my father's heir, his genetics perfected and an artificial womb used to ensure there were no defects, but Jason..." Talia smiled, a maternal smile that Tim had never seen on her face when discussing Damian, either in his world or this one. "Jason is my son, my heir."

"In my world, Jason was the son of a woman named Sheila Haywood and a man named Willis Todd," Tim said carefully.

Talia looked startled. "I used that name when I had Jason in a Gotham hospital, trying to hide his birth from my father. Willis Todd was a member of the League, who had come with me as my bodyguard. Those are the names on Jason's birth certificate. Father eventually forgave me for having Jason with the man I loved, let me and Jason and Willis return. Willis was killed a few years later by one of my father's adversaries."

Tim blinked, processing that. "Jason didn't know Sheila Haywood was his mother until he was 16. He'd been raised by Willis and his wife Catherine Todd. After they both died, he'd lived on the street for a while." He looked up to see a stricken look in Talia's eyes, though her face was impassive. "Batman caught him stealing the tires from the Batmobile so he could sell them for money."

Talia laughed. "Good for him. I presume the Batman took him in, as he'd taken in Grayson after his parents died?"

"Yes, took him in and made him his Robin. But Jason was angrier than the previous Robin, and when Batman benched him, Jason discovered that Catherine Todd wasn't his mother. He took off, found Sheila Haywood, and," Tim looked away. A part of him was screaming inside at the thought of Jason's death, at the thought of losing Jason, screaming for him to find the Joker and avenge his Beloved's death.

"What happened, Timothy?" Talia crossed the room and sat on the bed, looking up at Tim. Tim sat down beside her, part of him feeling safe with her, vague memories of Talia sitting at his side when he'd been injured, holding his hand when the pain got to be too great for the drugs to battle, surfacing in his mind. The other part of him argued that this was Ra's al Ghul's daughter, a woman who had used her own son as a weapon against Dick, a woman not to be trusted.

Trust won out, and he found himself leaning into her.

"She was working in a relief camp in Ethiopia. The Joker blackmailed her, and when Jason discovered it, he revealed he was Robin and said he'd protect her. She sold him out to the Joker."

Beside him, Talia went still. "What did the Joker do?

"Beat him unconscious with a crowbar, then left him and Sheila in a warehouse full of explosives. They didn't get out in time. Batman was nearby, but trying to stop the boxes of Joker toxin from getting out into the world. He didn't know Jason had tried to save his mother."

Head bowed, Talia was silent. "Did the Batman avenge Jason?"

"Batman doesn't kill, in my world."

Her head snapped up. "My son lies unavenged? The Joker still walks the Earth, the blood of a child on his hands?"

Tim took a breath. "The Joker still lives, but Jason....somehow came back to life. He was in bad shape, until you found him. You took him in, and eventually Jason came back fully after being immersed in a Lazarus Pit. He operates in Gotham as the Red Hood now, mostly trying to control crime by taking over."

Talia's hiss startled Tim. "The Batman does that, although he is more insidious. Willing to kill now, since the Joker took Robin's life."

"So Slade said." Thinking of Bruce as a killer, Dick dead then resurrected....Tim swallowed.

"Bruce Wayne is now Mayor of Gotham, with tight control. The City Council is handpicked and loyal to him, willing to support the Batman as their Mayor does. James Gordon, our best hope at a resistance in the Gotham government, has finally been ousted as police commissioner and replaced by Delmore Redhorn."

"Corrupt as they come, from Bludhaven," Tim said. He hesitated. "A hero named Nightwing had a lot of dealings with Redhorn." There had never been a Nightwing here.

"Sounds like the same man. We, the League, fight to get Batman and his pet Raptor and their corrupt cronies out of Gotham."

"What then?" Tim asked, wondering if this version of the League was anything like his.

"What do you mean?"

Tim looked at her. "You get Batman out, get Raptor out. Kill them if necessary. What becomes of Gotham then? Do you take over? Does Jason? Slade?" Me, he didn't ask.

"I have no interest in Gotham itself, other than the interest it holds for my Beloved. The inhabitants will choose another mayor, there will be a new police commissioner, for we won't allow Redhorn to stay, and with luck, they'll choose better this time. If not," Talia shrugged, "that's their problem. None of us want to rule Gotham, Timothy. Not even your counterpart did, though I suspect he would have left us at some point and gone home to help with the aftermath. This is revenge, pure and simple. Batman killed my father, killed your counterpart. He can't be allowed to live."

Getting up, Tim walked across the room to stare at the picture of the Gotham skyline. He wondered if the unfamiliar tower was this universe's version of Wayne Tower. If so, it was much more ostentatious than the one in his world. "I need more information."

"Timothy?"

Turning to Talia, Tim clenched his fists. "You want me to help you, to use my training to bring Batman and Raptor down."

"It would be a great advantage."

Tim snorted. "Of course it would. If you want me to help you, I need information. Access to whatever you have on Batman and Raptor and Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. I need to verify what you are telling me, and if I do, I will help you bring them down."

"And if you don't?" Talia asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Then I will sit here and demand to be sent home every hour until you are sick of me, but I won't interfere."

Talia watched him for a few moments, then nodded. "Slade will bring you everything you'll need." She stood and walked up to him, reaching up to cup his cheek. "We aren't lying to you, Timothy."

"I need proof, not just a dead man's memories."

Nodding, Talia patted his cheek and left. Tim took in a shaky breath. He remembered Talia doing that to him dozens of times, same as she did to Jason. But not to him, to this world's Timothy.

Moving back to the center of the room, Tim started another kata. He'd wait, evaluate the situation for himself, and decide how to proceed from there. Taking down Batman would not be easy, but Batman himself - Tim's adopted father - had trained him to do exactly that. He'd hate every second, and spend years in his own world atoning for this, but he would do it with every bit of ruthlessness he had.

He owed it to the version of himself he couldn't get out of his head.


	7. Protégé

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not his son, his protégé.

Slade looked down at Jason's plan and shook his head. "Not gonna work, kid. Bat's not gone back to that safehouse since--" He looked up at the sound of the door opening, stopping when he saw Timothy walk into the room, all familiar dangerous grace, violence barely leashed by sheer willpower. This Timothy's violence didn't have the lethal edge that his so- his student had, though. Still, it was enough to make Slade, Talia, and Jason look twice in hopeful longing until they consciously realized Timothy had both gray-blue eyes. Then reality returned. This wasn't their Timothy.

Timothy strode up to the computer display table they were standing around and looked at each of them, taking a deep breath. "The Batman has one major weakness we can exploit here. More so than in my universe. Bruce Wayne."

"He's a weakness to himself?" Slade asked, watching this alternate version of his protege. Timothy's eyes were dark with loathing - not for the people around him, but for himself.

"Bruce Wayne is and always has been a facade for the true nature of Batman. Simply put, Batman is the man, Bruce Wayne is the cape and cowl used to disguise his identity. My fa-" Tim stopped, taking a breath. "My world's Batman once claimed that he could operate without Bruce Wayne, but that isn't the case, especially here. Without Bruce Wayne, Batman doesn't have the funds needed to operate, doesn't have the resources needed to maintain his operation, and doesn't have the political backing to give him a semblance of legitimacy in your world's Gotham. Simply put, to take down the Batman, you take down Bruce Wayne, leaving Batman and Raptor vulnerable and on the run."

"How do you suggest we do that?" Talia asked. "You've seen our files. Even in Bruce Wayne guise, he has foiled our assasination attempts."

Timothy smiled, not a nice smile. One Slade had often seen on his Timothy, usually before he killed someone. "Dr. Thomas Elliott." Timothy tapped on the computer table and a picture of a red haired man Bruce Wayne's age appeared. "Childhood friend of Bruce Wayne's. All the available information indicates that here, as well as at home, he hates his 'friend', resents the man." Tim stared at the picture, one hand idly coming up to stroke a scar on his throat. "Wants nothing more than to destroy him."

"How does that help us?" Jason studied the picture.

"We give him the means to do so. He became a villain named Hush in my universe, so obsessed with destroying Bruce Wayne that he did plastic surgery on himself to turn into a perfect doppelganger of the man. He often passed himself off as Bruce, much to the detriment of the company coffers and Bruce's relationships."

"If he poses as Wayne and causes problems, especially at times where the real Wayne is out as the Bat, his public image erodes, and so does the power base supporting the Batman. Not just the company, but the political power." Slade smiled.

"Everything I've seen tells me that this Batman is inordinately careless about his civilian identity. Perfect for us to exploit." Timothy tapped a finger at the edge of the table. "He's gotten complacent. You are his only real challenge, and he thinks he has that under control." Slade watched Timothy frown, then shake his head. A memory from his home universe, or something from this world?

"Is this Thomas Elliot in Gotham? You know how the Justice League gets when we start taking our war to their cities," Jason said to Timothy. Timothy gave him a blank look in return. Not a memory that had transferred over, Slade thought. He wondered how much of his Timothy's memories had transferred, if there was a logical order to when they came forward in Timothy's mind. He suspected he would never know.

"They don't want us in their cities? Do you keep them out of Gotham in return?" Timothy asked.

"We don't," Talia replied. "The Batman and Raptor do. I believe he has some sort of blackmail on each of them."

"Sounds like Bruce. He's got plans to take down League members if they go rogue in my world. I can see this Batman using similar plans to ensure Gotham is off their radar."

"The only one who isn't afraid of him is the Green Lantern." Slade chuckled darkly. "Likes to buzz Gotham airspace just because he can, drop a mugger or two on the top of the central police precinct."

Timothy chuckled. "Our Hal Jordan isn't afraid of Batman, either."

On either side of Slade, Talia and Jason stiffened. Mother and son looked at each other across the computer table. "Hal Jordan is not the Green Lantern, here, Timothy. Guy Gardner is," Talia eventually said. She turned and stalked to the door. "Find this Thomas Elliott and we will fetch him here," she ordered over her shoulder as she left. Jason followed her, sword hand clenched into a fist, not looking at Timothy.

"What did I say wrong?" Timothy asked, looking at Slade with genuine confusion.

"I don't know about your world, kid, but here..." Slade sighed. "Hal Jordan was a test pilot for the U.S. Air Force. He and Talia met while she was hiding in California, rebelling against her father."

"Hal Jordan is Jason's father." Timothy made the leap easily, as he always had. 

"Yeah. He was killed in a test flight six months before Jason was born. Talia suspected her father had a hand in the crash. It's why she had Jason under another name."

"And I went and told them he was alive and well in my universe, one of the Green Lanterns." Timothy suddenly gave a snort, eyes distant as if he were remembering something.

"What?"

Timothy shook his head. "Nothing." He sighed. "I didn't mean to offend them, Slade," he added in a softer voice, one he'd heard from his Timothy too many times when he was younger.

Slade put a hand on Timothy's shoulder. "I know you didn't, kid. It's just hard to remember that you don't know these things; you look so much like our Timothy." His hand slide up to cup Timothy's cheek.

"But I'm not," Timothy said coldly, pulling away. "I'm not your Timothy, not your protege or Jason's lover or Talia's son-in-law. I'm _Bruce Wayne's_ son, _his_ protege, _his_ Robin, and I'm only helping you so I can go home." Timothy brought up another file on the computer table, not looking at Slade. "Here's Thomas Elliott's current address. He still lives in Gotham, so no need to worry about the Justice League."

Slade nodded as Timothy left the room, body rigid with controlled emotions. Timothy had leaned into his touch briefly, the way he always had, making it hard to remember this _wasn't_ his son. When this mission was over, when Hiro had the device working, he was going to lose Timothy again, for good this time.

Biting back the wave of loss that hit him, Slade summoned his retrieval squad to the planning room. They had a doctor to catch, a Batman to bring down. He would deal with losing another Timothy when the time came, and not before.


	8. Exposure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim's plan to bring down Bruce Wayne goes very, very, public.

Jason curled his fingers around the binoculars and swallowed hard. Across the street, in the Botanical Gardens, 'Bruce Wayne' stepped out of the limousine and reached back in to assist his date. Photographers began snapping pictures, and Jason grinned. Batman was in Europe, chasing a lead planted by the League to get him out of Gotham for this purpose. He'd left as Batman, meaning as far as the press was concerned, Bruce Wayne was still available to appear at the charity ball. Only Batman himself and Raptor knew differently.

Hush had proven surprisingly receptive to Tim's plan. He had already started the surgical procedures to become Bruce Wayne by the time Slade's team had 'invited' him back to the League headquarters. Hush and Tim had been locked in the war room for a while, working on their strategy. Jason had forced himself to stay away unless he had to be present. Being around a Tim with eyes lit up in planning joy was too difficult for Jason. That kind of joy had often led to more physical joys, and the memories hurt.

The plan was in motion now. So far, 'Bruce Wayne' had been spotted in a few seedy places around Gotham while Batman was across town on other business. The respectable papers were hesitant on reporting the mayor's presence in such low brow establishments. The tabloids were having a field day. But tonight...Tim had plans for tonight's charity ball. Plans that would get the Gotham media up in arms over Bruce Wayne's actions.

Plans Jason did not like.

'Bruce Wayne's' date emerged from the limo slowly. Spiked heels, stockings with a seam up the back, short, tight black dress stretched across a large (and obviously unnatural) set of breasts, teased black hair and a good deal of silver jewelry, including a necklace that rested just under 'her' Adam's apple.

The paparazzi went nuts. 'Bruce' merely tucked his date's arm in his and headed up the red carpet into the gardens. 

"Hush and Red are in," Jason relayed to the team. This Tim had rejected 'Dragon' when someone had suggested he take it up for the mission. Jason had been keen to veto it as well; Dragon was _his_ Timothy, not this one. Red Robin, shortened to Red, suited this Tim.

"Good," Talia reported. "Raptor should be there in a few hours, once this hits the television news. How are the guests taking it?"

"They're causing quite a fuss inside," one of the ninja who was working as a waiter murmured.

Jason trained his binoculars on the gardens. Hush and Tim were working the crowd, causing a stir. Jason knew Tim hadn't planned on altering his voice for this, so there would be no doubt that 'Bruce Wayne's' date was actually a man, if the Adam's apple didn't give it away. 'Bruce', however, would only refer to his date as 'her', if he wasn't using her name. 'Jasmine Green' was taking Gotham high society by storm - a shit storm if the whispering and glances at them behind their backs were any indication.

Over the next few hours, more than one of the guests had pulled Bruce aside and tried to gently tell him that his date was a man, and not really acceptable at the fundraiser. 'She' was too brash, too uncouth, too...male. Bruce would pat the matron or other person on the arm and just remark on how pretty his date was and go on about her personality and what made her so great.

Jason snorted. The look on the matrons' faces was priceless. And the best part was that the real Bruce Wayne would have to deal with the fallout of this. And trying to deny that he had been there would be difficult. Tim had managed to get in touch with The Oracle, and it was ensuring that there would be no records to show that Bruce Wayne had actually been out of town.

"Richard Grayson has arrived," Talia said from her position. Jason refocused the binoculars on the entrance, seeing the silver Lamborghini Murcielago pull up to the valet stand. Richard got out of the car, tossing the keys to the valet. Jason saw the kid goggle at the hundred dollar bill curled in the key ring. Richard smiled at the few reporters left outside and made his way in. Jason refocused, seeing Tim look around, eyes briefly alighting on Richard. He subtly nudged Hush, who made no reaction, but he ended the conversation as soon as he could and then turned, smiling broadly as he saw 'his' ward. Jason tuned into the microphone built into Tim's necklace (Tim had looked wistful as he designed the jewelry for reasons he wouldn't tell Jason). While he hadn't listened in so far, not wanting to hear Tim as Jasmine, Jason did not want to miss the full effect of this next gambit in Tim's plan.

"Richard!" 'Bruce' exclaimed, heading for the younger man, Tim as Jasmine following. Richard's expression tried to be welcoming, but even through the binoculars Jason could see the slight narrowing of his eyes. Raptor was in the building.

Jason smirked as 'Bruce' ignored Richard's outstretched hand and put his hands on Richard's neck, pulling him in for a deep, wet kiss that was just this side of pornographic. Even better, for Jason and the League, Richard's hands landed on 'Bruce's' waist for a few seconds before 'Bruce' pulled back. The pictures all the paparazzi were taking would show a reciprocal, loving embrace between lovers who were also father and adopted son.

Two seconds of shocked silence followed the kiss, and then the room exploded. Jason grinned and headed for the rendezvous point. He knew how this would play out. 'Jasmine' would slap 'Bruce', plant 'her' own kiss on Richard, and then storm out, 'Bruce' following to try to reconcile with his 'lady friend'.

Jason heard Slade's chuckle and knew that the retreat was in play. He couldn't wait to see the papers the next morning.


	9. Retaliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batman finds a way to retaliate.

"You ever going to tell us why you insisted on dropping inside information to those Metropolis reporters, kid?" Slade asked as he approached Tim in the war room. Tim kept his attention wholly on one of the monitors, where Clark Kent and Lois Lane, the husband and wife investigative reporting team from the _Daily Planet_ , were interviewing anyone who would talk to them about Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. About the two men being lovers, as well as father and adopted son.

Tim chuckled. "Everything I saw indicted that Lois Lane, like in my world, would not give up. And Kord Industries owns the _Daily Planet_ , and Ted Kord and Bruce Wayne do not get along. So they would be given free reign, unlike the _Gotham Gazette_ reporters, who answer to Bruce Wayne."

"Devious," Slade said approvingly.

It also gave Superman a legitimate reason to be in Gotham that Bruce couldn't counter without having his own secret identity as Batman exposed, Tim thought. And considering the sheer amount of damage control Bruce was engaged in from the "Kiss Heard 'Round the World", he didn't have time to run Clark Kent out of town.

"Talia wants to know what's next on your agenda."

Tim continued to watch Clark and Lois interview Derek Powers, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Lucius Fox and his family had moved to Coast City not long after Dick's death in this universe. Lucius was the CFO of Ferris Air, now. Tam was getting her pilot's license along with her college degree. Tim prayed she and her family would stay far away from Gotham. "That all depends."

"On what?"

"On what Talia wants done with the de-- her younger offspring."

"Not a fan of Damian's?"

"Little bitch tried to kill me on more than one occasion." His epithet was deliberate. Damian was a bitch.

"Why do you ask?"

"I want to get Alfred Pennyworth out of Wayne Manor. Loss of his primary father figure will further erode Wayne's emotional stability. It will also put him on defensive as Alfred likely knows all the family secrets. Best place to grab him is when he's picking Damian up from school. It would be infinitely easier to do so before Damian comes out, as threats to the young Wayne scion could be used to keep Alfred in line."

"Harder to threaten when Damian is there, as he is League and Bat trained," Slade said thoughtfully.

"Exactly. Actually, ideally, I'd do a two pronged attack. Take both Alfred and Dr. Leslie Thompkins. She's the Bat's primary physician."

"The father figure and his father's colleague," Talia's said as she entered the room. "It sounds like a good plan. Where would you put them?"

"Not here. Some other safe house, after checking for trackers. Never trust the Bat."

Talia nodded. "See to it. Leave Damian. He will never leave his father, not until there is no more father for him to follow. Or Grayson."

"I have a few ideas," Slade said. 

Tim turned to the man. "Let's plan," he said.

* * *

"Where's Dragon?" Jason asked, glaring at Z.

Z dropped to his knees. "He was captured, my lord."

"What. Happened." Slade demanded, coming to stand by Jason, fists clenched.

"Pennyworth informed us that the Batman had implanted a subcutaneous tracker on him several years ago. Dr. Thompkins was able to remove it, but the Batman was on his way. Dragon and Owens took the tracker and led the Batman away from where we were escaping from the Batman, Raptor, and the new Robin."

New Robin. It had to be his half-brother, Damian. Batman had put him in the suit already. Jason swore, pulling violently away from the hand Slade put on his shoulder.

"We will get him back, my son," Talia said as she entered the room. "Your Beloved will not be left behind."

Slade's hand on his shoulder stopped Jason from snapping that this wasn't his Beloved. Most of the room thought this Tim was Jason's Tim, Jason's Beloved. They couldn't afford to let the secret out now. Not when they were so close to taking down the Batman.

"The Bat probably took him back to that damn Cave," Slade growled.

"Yes, and he's most likely upgraded its defenses in anticipation of us attacking," Talia said.

Prudence hurried into the room, a manila folder in her hands. "The Batman sent a message. It's been checked," she added, handing it to Talia. No tracking devices or poison powders or anything out of the ordinary had been added to it, standard checks when dealing with his mother's Beloved.

Talia opened the folder and paled at the sight of the contents. Slade moved to look over her shoulder. He'd barely looked before turning and slamming his fist into the wall behind him, leaving a hole.

Jason walked over and looked at the folder's contents, feeling his fists clench in rage. An eight and a half by eleven picture rested inside, a message scrawled on the opposite leaf of the folder. 

_Bat took.  
Pit gave back.  
Bat takes again._

_Your move._

In the picture, Tim's eyelids were held open with metal instruments. His left eye was rolled up, as if Tim were unconscious. Jason hoped Tim was unconscious. Because the right eye socket was empty, the eye fully removed.

Jason growled low in his throat. That wasn't his Timothy. But Tim, despite how he felt about the Batman in his own world, had been instrumental in getting them this far in taking down the Batman that had killed Jason's grandfather, corrupted his half-brother. It had been bad enough for him, dealing with the memories of Jason's Beloved in his head, seeing the memory of someone this Tim trusted removing Timothy's eye at age eleven.

Now he'd lost his own eye at the age of eighteen, to the bastard version of his father.

"I. Want. His. Head."

Talia nodded. "You will have it, my son. We will rescue Timothy and kill the Wayne family. _All_ of them."

Both Jason and Slade started at that. Talia was ordering her younger son's death with that statement.

"He cannot be reformed or brought back to the League. He killed Owens in cold blood, was instrumental in Timothy's capture. Gleeful, even."

Jason nodded, hands still clenched at his side. Slade stepped closer to him, his own eye dark with anger. "We'll get him back. Help him cope." Slade lowered his voice. "Get him back home if he wants."

Jason nodded. "We'll need to distract Batman, Raptor, and Robin long enough to get someone into the Cave to rescue Tim."

The computer monitor in the corner flared to life, the Oracle mask glowing softly. They all turned to see what he/she/it had to say. "Superman is already in Gotham in disguise, at Dragon's urging. He's volunteered to rescue Dragon, with the rest of the Justice League providing a non-lethal diversion."

"Would the Bat leave Timothy unguarded?" Slade asked.

Oracle gave a mechanical chuckle that sent chills down Jason's spine. "They will. The JLA's presence in Gotham is an all hands on deck situation for the Bat. Even the midget Robin would go."

"The League of Assassins will send people to assist in the diversion." _People who will kill the Batman,_ was Talia's unspoken sentiment.

"I'll inform the League. I'll contact with the time and location when the League has decided. Oracle out."

"I'm going," Jason said, glaring at his mother.

"We're all going," she said. "We all want a shot at the Batman and his 'sons'."

Jason smiled, and several League members backed away. It was a lethal smile that promised vengeance against the Batman and anyone who stood in Jason's way of rescuing Tim. 

Including his own half-brother.


	10. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim is rescued from the Batman's cave.

_"Are we sure this is Dragon?" Dick's voice. But yet not._

_"He's Dragon. The Pit must have given him back his eye." Bruce's voice, harder and harsher than Tim had ever heard. "That offends me."_

_His eyelids are pulled open, held back by tiny metal instruments. Batman is leaning over him, cowl down and a gleam in his eyes that reminds Tim of both Ra's al Ghul and the Joker. Tim tries to struggle, but his body feels as if it were buried under two tons of sand. Drugged, he idly thought._

_"And if his right eye offends me?" Batman again, staring down at Tim. Most definitely Batman, despite the loss of the cowl. That was not Bruce, not Tim's father._

_"Pluck it out." Dick handed a scalpel to Bruce, deliberately passing it over Tim's line of sight. His older brother ( not Dick, not my brother) was in all black, no blue to break it up, and a domino mask. Raptor._

_"Indeed," Bruce said before plunging the scalpel into Tim's right eye. Tim screamed._

* * *

Tim woke up screaming, his eye socket throbbing in pain where Batman _not Bruce, not my Bruce, not my father_ had brutally torn out his eye and left it exposed, only cauterizing the wounds to ensure Tim wouldn't die before Batman could finish the job himself - after taking care of the metas that had invaded his city. Batman, Raptor, and Robin had been furious that the Justice League would be active in Gotham. Tim thought he vaguely remembered them mentioning seeing Deathstroke with the League, but considering the pain that he had been in, he wasn't sure he trusted his ears.

Another wave of pain wracked his body, and Tim tried to block it out, running through every pain blocking technique his Bruce had taught him, focusing on everything he could other than the pain - the feel of swinging through Gotham on de-cel lines, stupid conversations with Kon and Bart over Wendy the Werewolf Stalker, train surfing with Nightwing ( _not Raptor, Nightwing_ ), the first time he and Jason had made love, the look on Jason's face when Tim had proposed their matching tattoos....

 _No...that wasn't me_ , he told himself. _That was the Dragon Tim, the one who died... the one this Jason loves._

Wind stirred through the cave, that small touch against his empty socket causing him to cry out. Hands ripped open the bonds holding him to the gurney, and Tim opened his eye to see Superman standing at his side, a pained look on his face. It didn't look right, though. Something was off.

"Superman," Tim croaked.

"Shh," Superman replied, reaching down and gently picking Tim up. "We're getting out of here." He wrapped his cape around Tim, protecting his head, and flew out of the cave at top speed. Tim clutched at Superman's shirt, biting his lip at the pain. He refused to pass out.

A few minutes later, the sound changed, and Tim heard voices as Superman slowed down. "Batman took his eye," Superman told someone. "It doesn't look like any real medical attention was given."

"Put him on the bed," a familiar voice said. Tim was placed on the bed, and hands gently massaged his fingers, using pressure points to release his hold on Superman's shirt. "It's all right, Dragon," the familiar voice said. Something in Tim told him to move away from the voice, but then something sharp was being inserted into his arm and Tim was sucked into the darkness again.

* * *

Slade was sitting at Tim's bedside when he woke up next. Superman and Dr. Mid-Nite were in the corner, talking quietly. Tim blinked as the world looked off, his depth perception missing. His eye, he recalled suddenly, trying to sit up. Batman had taken his eye.

"Hey, kid, careful," Slade said, putting a hand on Tim's arm. "Dr. Mid-Nite did what he could, but.... I'm sorry."

"Batman took my eye," Tim said dully. 

"Yeah, he did."

"How are you feeling?" Mid-Nite asked. Tim looked up at him, startled. That wasn't Pieter Cross under the cowl. That voice... that was Lex Luthor. Lex Luthor, standing next to Superman, their body language indicating they were comfortable being around each other.

"Like crap," Tim answered honestly.

Luthor chuckled. "It will pass. Probably a result of the drugs you'd been given by Batman and the ones I had to administer." He sobered. "There shouldn't be any infection or lingering complications from the removal of your eye. At least no medical complications."

 _No medical complications, but I'll never be Red Robin again,_ Tim thought. He leaned back against the bed, closing his eye.

"We'll let you sleep," Superman said. "I know the two Leagues have much to discuss. Batman must be stopped."

Tim nodded. He heard the other two leave the room, the turned to Slade. The older man looked worn as he gazed at Tim. "I'm sorry, Dragon."

No real names, no here. Not when they were likely on camera, audio and video recordings being made.

"I'll live," Tim said bluntly. "You'll teach me how to fight again," he said, keeping up the pretense that this was not the first time he'd lost an eye. He knew Slade would ignore the 'again', teach Tim how to fight with one eye, the same as he'd taught Dragon.

Slade nodded. "I will."

"Good." Maybe he couldn't be Red Robin at home anymore, but that didn't mean he couldn't become someone else.

"Get some rest, kid. You'll need it for the joint meeting of the Leagues." Slade patted Tim's hand, letting his rest on top of it. Tim found the warmth oddly comforting, an echo of the times Slade had sat by a much younger Tim Drake's bedside and comforted him after his nightmares of losing his eyes.

Lulled by another Tim's feeling of comfort around his father figure, Tim finally fell asleep.


	11. Meeting of Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The League of Assassins and the Justice League finally meet to address their mutual problem.

Tim and Slade spent three days working on Tim's balance and perception, so Tim could start back into the katas he'd been doing for years - the ones he'd learned in karate class and the ones he'd learned from Bruce and other teachers. He also had to learn to compensate for the giant blind spot that was his right side. He wasn't up to where he wanted to be by the time the two Leagues met to determine a plan for the removal of the Batman. But it would have to do. Time was running out.

Tim entered the meeting room at Slade's side, dressed in all black, Dragon's cape around his neck, the hood pulled up. He was starting to understand why Damian liked having the hood on his Robin cape. Draped properly, it let Tim hide the eyepatch he now wore - a gift from Slade, brand new, fitted exactly to him. He was still getting used to the feel of it. Idly, he wondered what the Slade Wilson in his universe would say about Tim's new accessory.

Jason and Talia approached them as they entered, Talia cupping Tim's cheek in her hand. "It is good to see you, Dragon. We will avenge this."

"He will pay," Jason growled.

Before Tim could respond, Superman approached the group. "We're ready," he said, nodding at them.

Talia turned to face him. "We are coming."

The Justice League in this world was different than his. No Batman, first of all. Wonder Woman stood next to Dr. Mid-Nite by the meeting table. Beyond them, Guy Gardner, in Green Lantern uniform, stood next to Aquaman and the Flash. Booster Gold, Blue Beetle (Ted Kord? It was his uniform, not Jaime's), Rip Hunter, and Booster's robot partner Skeets were by the windows, talking animatedly. Roy Harper, in Arsenal uniform, stood along the back wall next to Troia, Tempest, Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg. None of them looked happy. Tim wondered why they were here, unless the Titans had insisted on being present because of Dick. In the far corner stood two men Tim didn't recognize, one with longish white hair and a white and yellow costume, the other in all black, with cowl, arms crossed over his chest and scowling at everyone.

Superman led them to the table. "This is Talia al Ghul, head of the League of Assassins, and her associates."

"We know who they are," Aquaman said scornfully. "They are seeking to kill the Batman and they want our help."

"The Batman needs to be stopped," Wonder Woman said.

"Why?" the guy in black leather in the corner asked. "He's killing bastard scum in Gotham. What's the problem with that?"

"He killed my father. He's corrupting my son," Talia said. "He rules Gotham with an iron fist, and those who do not follow his rule are severely punished."

"Still not seeing the issue here."

"We cannot allow him to have free reign in Gotham," Dr. Mid-Nite, Luthor, said. "Whether or not you join us. Same with the Titans," he added.

"If Raptor needs to be put down, we want in," Arsenal said. "He was our teammate. Our friend."

Skeets had drifted over and was hovering near Tim. Tim turned to look at Skeets. "May I help you?"

"Your energy signature matches that of a disturbance Dr. Hunter observed two months ago. It does not match the energy signature of this universe."

Everyone looked at Tim. He glanced at Talia and Jason. Rip Hunter walked closer. "You're not from this universe."

"No, I'm not the Dragon from this universe," Tim said.

"Then who are you?" Gardner growled.

Talia put a hand on Tim's shoulder. "He is the Dragon from another universe, one who has generously agreed to use his knowledge of the Batman obtained in that universe to assist us."

Tim looked up at met Superman's eyes. "My name is Timothy Drake. Where I come from, the Batman is my adopted father, and my mentor. I was the third Robin, after our version of the man now called Raptor and another young man."

"So, the Batman took your eye, and you aren't even the right Dragon?" the white haired man in the corner asked.

"Thought he was taking Dragon's eye for the second time. The first time he took it, our world's Dragon was eleven years old and his crime was following around Batman and Raptor like a star struck child," Slade spit out.

The entire league stared at them. "Wait, you didn't take Dragon's eye originally?" Superman asked Slade.

Slade growled. "Dragon was my _son_. If I could have given him his eye back at the expense of my own, I would."

Even Jason and Talia looked at Slade with surprise. Tim suspected that Slade had never said that out loud before. He idly wondered if Slade had ever said that to his Timothy. If he had, it wasn't a memory Tim had inherited.

Judging by the expression on Slade's face, Tim wondered if Slade had ever realized he felt that way about his Timothy.

"I think," Wonder Woman said, stepping forward and putting a hand on Superman's arm. "That you had better start at the beginning."

"What beginning?" Talia asked.

"The League of Assassins involvement with Batman," Wonder Woman replied. "And we will tell you of the Justice League's involvement with him. And then we will decide what needs to done."

Talia nodded at Wonder Woman. "Fair enough."

Wonder Woman gestured to the table, large enough to fit all of them. Tim took a seat between Jason and Slade, looking around at people who were allies, friends, and enemies in his world. He ducked his head, closing his good eye, suddenly tired of this universe, of these people who were and weren't the people he knew. He just wanted to go home.

He was afraid he never would.


	12. Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim finally breaks down.

The argument went on for a long time. Talia and Slade were convinced the only way to stop Batman was to execute him. Superman and the other members of the Justice League felt there had to be alternatives to outright killing Batman. Midnighter and Apollo, the two men Tim hadn't known from his own world, were siding with Talia and Slade.

Tim stayed for as long as he could, not participating. Back at the League of Assassin's base, he knew they would kill Bruce, Dick, and probably Damian when he started assisting them. There was no discussion. He was only asked to find ways to get Batman to where someone from the League had the opportunity to kill him. A fine line, and one he still internally balked at crossing, but one he thought (hoped) he would be able to live with.

"If there is even a _chance_ that Bruce can be saved, we should--"

Mid-Nite's, _Luthor's_ , voice broke into Tim's thoughts. Hearing _that_ voice talk about Tim's father as if he were a friend, instead of an enemy or a business rival, instead of someone who had tried to kill both Bruce's best friend and Tim's own best friend.... He couldn't take it.

Tim stood, interrupting Guy Gardner. Everyone looked at him, but he didn't return any glances as he turned and walked out of the room, going back to the guest room he'd been given once he'd been released from the infirmary. 

Tim removed the cloak and tossed it on the chair before moving to the mirror and staring at himself . He had more lines on his face, pain lines mostly. Under his left eye, his lack of sleep in recent days was frighteningly apparent. The nightmares didn't let him sleep much more than a few hours a night. Last night had been the worst, so far. Visions of his eleven year old self being mutilated by Batman, but not this world's. _His_ Batman, with Dick (in his first Nightwing outfit), Jason in a torn, charred, and bloodied Robin costume, and Tim's biological father Jack Drake cheering Bruce on as he removed Tim's eyes and handed it to Damian, who then ate it. Tim had woken up in a cold sweat, unable to close his eyes again without seeing that image. He'd spent the rest of the night doing sit ups and push ups and any kata he could managed with his diminished perception to keep him busy and not thinking of the nightmare.

Removing the eye patch, Tim stared at his face. Tried to imagine himself in the Robin mask, the Red Robin cowl, any other mask now that he only had one eye.

He couldn't do it.

He picked up a glass on the counter and threw it across the room. It shattered like his future, his memories.

Like him.

Tim sank to the ground, back to the wall, resting his forehead on his knees. After a long moment, he finally let tears fall. Tears for the Tim in this world, for Jason and Slade and Talia, who looked at Tim and saw their lost loved one.

He cried for himself as well, for his fears that he'd be rejected by, or be rejecting, his family. For the loss of the only constant in his life, of his friends, his family. He'd been able to pick up and go on when others had died, when he'd been dismissed from being Robin. But he wasn't so sure he'd be able to go on again this time. Wasn't sure he'd be able to look at Batman - at _Bruce_ \- and not see the monster.


	13. Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected person provides Tim some support.

"You okay, son?"

The computerized voice cut into the thoughtless state Tim had fallen into after he'd exhausted himself with his tears. His head shot up, but he was alone in his room.

Well, not completely alone, he amended. The monitor on the wall showed the softly glowing Oracle mask. Right, Oracle had been watching, meaning that everyone back in the meeting room had probably watched him break down. "Leave me alone," he said, putting his head back down on his knees.

"You left rather abruptly--"

"And I'm sure you followed me, and everyone saw my breakdown. No secrets from Oracle, right? Got spies and cameras everywhere, watching everything, exposing everyone's secrets to the world." He knew he sounded bitter, but he didn't care.

Oracle was silent for a long moment, then said softly, "No one other than me saw that, Timothy, and I didn't record it."

Tim's head shot up again at the sound of that voice, not a scrambled voice, but a real one. And one that was male, warm, compassionate, and familiar.

Jim Gordon's face looked back at Tim from the monitor, a sympathetic smile on his face. "Everyone is entitled to break down. I only watched to ensure you wouldn't try to hurt yourself."

"Commissioner," Tim said on a shaky breath, trying to get himself back under control.

"Not since Bruce Wayne decided I wasn't a team player. But it's nice to hear I'm still Police Commissioner in your world."

Tim nodded, getting up and putting on his eye patch before moving toward the monitor. "The only commissioner we trust in Gotham."

"What about Barbara? What does she do in your Gotham?" he asked hesitantly.

"She's Oracle in our world."

Gordon paused. "Is she..." he glanced over his shoulder, and as he moved, Tim saw Barbara Gordon, in her wheelchair, at another set of monitors.

Tim sighed. "Yes. The Joker, in my world."

Gordon nodded. "Batman, in ours. Took offense to Batgirl operating in Gotham. After he'd killed the Joker."

"God," Tim said, running a hand over his face. 

"You don't want Batman dead," Gordon said. "You looked unhappy during the meeting."

"I can't want him dead," Tim said. "We don't kill in my world. I can't go back there if I've got his blood on my hands." Tim sighed. "But this isn't my world, so I don't get a say in that." Not that he wouldn't have blood on his hands, if Batman and Raptor were killed, as he'd helped in the process that led to their deaths.

"Looked like something set you off in there."

Tim chuckled bitterly. "The man underneath Dr. Mid-Nite's cowl here . . . is a villain in my world. One who has tried to kill Superman numerous times, mind controlled my best friend to try to kill his friends, including me, gone after my world's Batman both in his hero and civilian identities, and, well, would have no problems selling out the human race so long as he survived. Hearing him argue that Batman should live... I can't--" Tim broke off, shaking his head. "I want to go home," he whispered, "and I'm staring to fear I won't ever be able to." This Jim Gordon was a comforting to talk to as his world's, or Tim wouldn't be saying that.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that, but I can keep the others from disturbing you for a while?"

"Please," Tim said, sighing. He glanced at the bed. "I would appreciate that."

Gordon smiled. "Get some sleep, Timothy. I'll get Barbara to look into ways of getting you home."

"Thanks, Commissioner." 

The screen faded to black, and Tim dimmed the lights in the the room. He removed his boots and curled up in the bed, taking off the eye patch and setting it on the small bedside table. He stared at the patch, thinking of the man who had take his eyes, and the man in his universe who had adopted him.

"I love him, I hate you," he whispered to the Bruce that was in this world, the one who had taken his eye. "If you do die, I won't mourn you. I will ask Bruce for his forgiveness, but I won't mourn you."

He turned over so his back was to the patch and the screen, closing his eyes. He sighed and fell asleep.


	14. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made, for victory and loss.

"Let him go." Arsenal's voice was soft, but enough to stop Jason from moving. He'd gotten up, wanting to go after Tim. The look on the younger man's face worried Jason. 

"Harper," Slade growled, obviously unhappy with Arsenal's interference.

"You heard him, Deathstroke. Batman is his _father_ in his world, and we're discussing killing the man, like it's nothing. He can't listen, and I get it. Dick Grayson was my brother. The thought of killing him is killing me, but I know that man in Gotham isn't the Dick Grayson I loved and lost to the Joker. But that kid's still hoping to get home to his family - his father, his brother. He's scarred enough from his time here. Let's let him have the space he needs to cope."

"Arsenal is right," Raven said. "Let him have space, or he may refuse to help us at all."

"I will look in on him," Oracle said. "If it appears an intervention is needed, I will summon assistance."

"Thank you, Oracle," Superman said. "Shall we get back to business?"

Jason took one last look at the door, then nodded. He sat down in his chair. His mother reached out under the table, squeezing his hand, though she focused on the rest of the League. Jason forced himself to return to the discussion. He would check in on Tim later, to make sure he was okay.

* * *

They finally came to an agreement, and a plan. If Batman was killed in the battle, or if the League of Assassins or Midnighter or Apollo got to him, so be it. If the Justice League captured him, then he would be imprisoned offworld somewhere, most likely by the Guardians on Oa. Same for Raptor and Robin.

Jason wasn't thrilled, but he knew it was the price of the Justice League's assistance. Besides, he was still more worried about Tim, about Dragon. 

Stopping outside of Tim's guest room, his hand on the door, Jason sighed. His hand slid off the door as he moved to rest his forehead against the wall. He wanted to go in, check on Tim, make sure the other man was all right. The expression on Tim's face when he'd left the meeting...

If it had been his Beloved, Jason would not have let Harper stop him from going after him, finding out what was wrong and how to help, if he could. Even if it was just letting Tim take it out on him in training, as Tim had done for him so many times. But that wasn't his Beloved on the other side of the door. 

His comm chirped, and Jason reached up to activate it. "What?"

"I need information, Jason Todd al Ghul," a computerized voice said. Oracle.

"What kind of information?"

"Wayne Industries had a device that appeared to be capable of shifting people between worlds. It disappeared the night you rescued Timothy Drake from them."

"You think we have it." Jason didn't make it a question.

"I think you have it," Oracle said. "I promised Timothy I would assist him in getting home. That device may be vital to keeping my promise."

Jason hesitated. "I'll have someone get in touch with you. Someone who has been working on the same thing, but from a different angle on that device." He would have to let Hiro know about Tim being from a different universe. That still wasn't common knowledge.

"Understood." The voice paused. "Tim is asleep, finally."

Jason's lips twitched. "Thank you. I won't disturb him then."

"Oracle out."

Jason sighed, pressing a hand to Tim's door. The League of Assassins contingent would be leaving the Watchtower the next afternoon, returning to their base to begin planning the Bat's downfall. He'd let Tim sleep for now. The man could use it.

Turning away from the door, Jason sent word to have Hiro Okumura contact him as soon as possible. He had a feeling that between Hiro and Oracle, they'd have a way to send Tim home in no time.

And Jason would lose his Beloved once again.


	15. Etiam in Morte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even in death, love survives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning: Character Death, Dub-Con (I don't know if it actually counts, but I'm warning to be on the safe side for readers.)

_"Raptor has breached the perimeter of the safe house."_

_Tim nodded, pulling his hood up and drawing his sword. "Get the asset to safety," he instructed Z._

_"My lord," Z began._

_"Leave Pru here with me, but the asset is your priority, Z."_

_"Yes, my lord."_

_Tim was vaguely aware of Z bowing and leaving. Tim settled into an easy stance, eyes on the monitors showing Raptor's progress through the safe house's traps. Ninja slowed him down, but Raptor was relentless. Not a surprise. Stephanie Brown was one of the few people who had managed to infiltrate the Bat's organization, and leave with valuable intel on the operations. They wanted her dead. But she was out of the safe house now. But not safe yet, not until they'd gotten her to the main base of operations for the League._

_"Raptor's there?" Slade's voice came through the communicator in Tim's ear._

_"Yes," Tim replied. "Pru and I have remained behind to engage."_

_"He still hasn't forgiven you for blowing up the warehouse," Slade reminded him. "Be careful, kid."_

_Tim smiled. He would always be a kid to Slade, despite having passed his twenty first birthday. "I will. Is Fox there?"_

_"No, he's dealing with the idiots from Intergang."_

_Tim sighed, gaging Raptor's progress. Not enough time to call his Beloved. "Give Fox a message for me?"_

_"What's that?"_

_Pru approached on Tim's blind side, stepping forward a little so Tim could see her and her guns at the ready. Tim nodded at her. "Tell Fox I said_ Etiam in morte, superest amor _."_ In death, love survives _. Something they always said to each other before a battle, before they parted. But they'd argued about Tim personally going on this mission, Jason not liking how Brown looked at Tim, and they hadn't said it before Tim left._

_"I will, Dragon. Make me proud."_

_Raptor was two rooms away now. Tim and Pru looked at each other, heading for the door. "Always. Dragon out."_

_Raptor appeared in the far doorway, and Tim smiled, and the fight was on._

* * *

_"Timothy, can you hear me?"_

_Tim opened his eye reluctantly. He hurt. Everywhere. Even opening his eye caused the pain to spike. He opened his mouth, but Talia's finger on his lips stopped him._

_"Shh, Timothy," she said. "Save your strength." She looked down at him, brown eyes filled with pain and concern and...tears. Slade appeared over her shoulder, and as good as his mentor was at controlling his expressions, Tim had learned to read Slade a long time ago. That, coupled with the pain and the way his vision was darkening, told Tim what Talia didn't want to say._

_Tim was dying._

_"Jason," he whispered._

_"On his way," Slade said._

_"He'll be here any minute," Talia said._

_"The girl?"_

_"Safe. As is Prudence. You saved her, Timothy."_

_Tim swallowed. It was getting harder to breathe. He reached out, fighting the pain. Slade grasped his hand. "No Pit," Tim said._

_Talia made a noise, her eyes filling with unshed tears. "Timothy," she said._

_"No. Pit."_

_"No Pit," Slade agreed as Talia stood and moved away. He squeezed Tim's hand. "I promise."_

_Tim gave him a small smile. "Thanks....dad."_

_Slade swallowed. He let go of Tim's hand to brush his fingers over Tim's cheek. "Son," he said softly._

_"Dragon!" Jason yelled as he entered the room. He stopped, staring at them, then hurried to Tim's side. "No," he said softly, "no."_

_Vaguely aware of Talia and Slade withdrawing, Tim reached up with a shaky hand to cup Jason's face, not caring about the pain that went through him. "I love you," he said softly, between gasps for air._

_"Don't leave me," Jason said. "Tim, Beloved, don't leave me." He grabbed Tim's hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry about last night."_

_"Me too," Tim whispered. Speaking was difficult, but he kept at it. "Beloved. No... regrets..."_

_"None," Jason said, leaning in to kiss Tim's lips. "We'll stop the Batman and Raptor, Beloved. I promise."_

_Trying to smile, Tim curled his fingers tighter around Jason's, gasping as a wave of pain hit. "Wouldn't..... wouldn't change anything. Except... dying."_

_Jason whimpered and leaned forward, resting his cheek against Tim's. "Love you," Jason whispered. "So much, Beloved."_

_Tim couldn't keep his eyes open, and breathing was so hard. He knew the end was coming. "Love... you... Beloved. Etiam ... in ... morte.. " He didn't have the breath to finish._

_He heard Jason say something, but it was so far away--_

* * *

Tim woke with a gasp, sitting straight up in bed. He panted for a few moments, shaking his head, swallowing the bile that kept trying to come up. It took a few minutes for him to calm enough to see the room, blinking at the generic walls. This wasn't his room with Jason. This was one of the guest rooms. He hadn't slept in one since the first time he and Jason had made love.

But he'd slept in one last night. Was it the fight they'd had? Tim didn't know. 

He threw off the covers and stood, grabbing his eye patch and looping it over his head. Not bothering with a shirt or shoes, he padded out into the hallway of the League's headquarters, following the familiar hallways until he stood outside the suite he shared with Jason. He held out a hand, hovering over the door knob, hesitating. He couldn't remember why he was sleeping somewhere else. Did Jason kick him out? Did he leave on his own?

He grabbed the knob and twisted, opening the door. It didn't matter. He had to talk to Jason, had to apologize. The dream of dying was too fresh in his mind, too _real_ for Tim to ignore.

Jason stood in the middle of their bedroom, fully clothed, staring at their bed, his shoulders slumped. He turns at Tim's approach, eyes wide. "Tim?"

"I'm sorry. Forgive me, Beloved," Tim laid his head against Jason's chest, hands fisting in Jason's shirt. "I.... oh god I can't even recall why we fought that I slept apart from you, but I apologize for it."

"Tim." Jason's voice sounded broken, and Tim clung harder as Jason's arms finally closed around him. 

"It's just that....I just... I dreamed," Tim murmured softly. "That I died, when Raptor attacked me. That I left you alone, and I can't... I had to see you." Tim finally looked up into Jason's eyes, seeing the hurt and pain reflected in them. "I love you. _Etiam in morte_ \--"

" _Superest amor_ ," Jason choked out, arms tightening around Tim. "God, Beloved. My Beloved. I've missed you so much."

Tim looked up, and Jason leaned in, taking his mouth in a hard, deep kiss. Jason turned them, pushing Tim onto the bed, and Tim went willingly, hands removing Jason's clothing as Jason's hands roamed Tim's skin. Then they were both naked, and Tim lost himself in the feel of Jason, of his Beloved.


	16. Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was losing himself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References to dub-con

Jason nuzzled at Tim's hair, whispering soft _'Beloved'_ s and _'I love you'_ s and _'I missed you'_ s into the dark strands. Tim nuzzled back, pressing soft kisses against Jason's collar bone. They were both sweat slick in the aftermath of passion, pleasantly tired from their night, when small moments of sleep were interrupted by lovemaking.

Running his hand up Jason's side, Tim smiled against his lover's skin. He felt like he had the first night they'd made love, his body sore in all the right ways and places.

A noise outside the bedroom intruded into their idyll. "Jason?" Slade's voice called. "You here?"

Jason groaned, and Tim hid his face in the other man's neck. The door to the bedroom opened. "Jason, Tim is missing and Talia...."

Tim looked up at Slade, taking in the look of absolute shock on the older man's face. He was just about to ask why his father figure was so shocked to see Tim in Jason's bed when reality crashed back into him.

He wasn't Jason's Beloved. He was just a Tim stuck here from another world, one with Tim's memories, and he'd lost himself in them last night.

"Oh god," Tim choked out, scrambling out of Jason's arms and out of the bed. He grabbed for his sleep pants on the floor, pulling them on. "I'm so sorry, god Jason, I didn't mean to...I wasn't...god." He stared at Jason, who hadn't moved, but who looked stricken himself. "I'm sorry." He hurried out of the room, pushing past Slade. He didn't make eye contact with any of the League members he passed, locking the door to his guest quarters behind him before he collapsed to the floor. 

He needed to go home. Not once last night had he even had an _inkling_ he wasn't Jason's Timothy, not until Slade's shocked expression brought it all back.

He was losing himself here. Losing Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne. With each dream, each memory of this world's Tim Drake, he felt a bit more of himself slipping away. The lure of staying in this world, with a lover, a loving father figure, even a loving mother figure, all here for him, was strong. He couldn't remember having anything like this in his home world, though he had more people there for him - Bruce and Dick, Alfred and Barbara and Stephanie, Kon and Bart and the Titans. But waking up in Jason's arms this morning, sparring with Slade over the past week, planning raids with Talia - all those just felt... _right_.

Tim bit his lip. He had to get home. Before there wasn't any of him left to go home.

* * *

Jason leaned his head against his knees and sighed as Tim dashed out of the room. Slade still stood in the doorway, frowning, arms crossed over his chest.

"He may not be my Timothy, but that doesn't mean I won't protect him any less."

Jason took a deep breath and looked up at Slade, knowing he had a bleak expression on his face. "He remembered my Beloved's death, Slade. I guess he dreamt it. Came here apologizing for whatever fight had us sleeping apart. He knew..." Jason had to take another deep breath at the memory of hearing those words in Tim's voice again, after so long. "He knew our saying, Slade. He remembered it. And I... I was weak. I couldn't turn him down. Couldn't turn down my Beloved."

Slade came over an sat on the side of the bed. "But he wasn't your Beloved, Jason. And it wasn't our visiting Tim in your bed, either."

"I know!" Jason shouted. He shook his head as Slade just stared at him impassively. "I know," he said more calmly. "The mind that gave consent was not the mind that belonged to the body. Dubious consent at best," he said, hating himself. "I don't know what to do."

Slade put a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Let me talk to him, see how he's viewing this before you talk to him. But Jason, he may not..."

"Want anything to do with me ever again."

"Yeah."

They were silent for long moments, then Slade stood, patting Jason's shoulder. "The Justice League has sent a preliminary plan. Talia could use your help with it. I'm going to go check on Timothy."

Jason nodded. "Tell him.... tell him I'm sorry."

"I will, kid." Slade left, and Jason stared at the bed he and Tim had spent the night in. The bed that had been his and his Beloved's. "I fucked up, Beloved," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

There was no response, and Jason eventually got up and pulled on his clothing so he could go back to his quarters and shower before having to deal with the day.


	17. Sparring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slade goes to talk to Tim after the events of "Morning After".

When Slade finally tracked Tim down, the young man was in the workout area, going through a kata that Slade had taught him, useful for a hand to hand fight with only one eye. Slade waited until Tim's back was turned and stepped in close, aiming a kick at Tim's back. Tim whirled and blocked it, eye narrowing at Slade.

"Good," Slade said approvingly, moving back a step on the mats of the practice room.

Tim blushed a little, and Slade wondered, again, what had been wrong with Tim's world that he seemed so unused to praise. His own Tim had been like that, when he'd first forced his way into Slade's life, but he'd grown used to it as they'd become more father and son than mentor and student. 

Slade didn't get the chance to offer Jason's apologies as Tim stepped forward and swung a punch with his off hand. Slade blocked it and kept going, sensing that Tim wanted this more than conversation right now. The two of them settled into a violent dance of punches and kicks and blocks that Slade and his student Tim had engaged in often, not so much training as a form of silent communication between two men, father and son, more used to violence than soft words. 

They sparred for a good half hour before Slade called a halt by stepping off the practice mat and raising his hands, palms out. Tim halted, panting heavily, sweating from the spar and his workout beforehand. He stayed on the mat as Slade walked over to one of the benches and picked up a towel and bottle of water that sat on the bench. Tossing both of them to Tim, Slade made sure the younger man caught both before grabbing his own towel and bottle of water. Tim never looked at Slade the entire time, drinking his water and then using the towel to wipe his face and the back of his neck, looking down at the mat.

"Quit it."

Tim looked at Slade, startled.

"You're blaming yourself for last night. You cannot control when the memories take over, Tim."

"He thought I was his Beloved, Slade. Because _I_ thought I was his Beloved."

"Again, not your fault, kid. If anything, Jason's at fault - he knew better, knew you weren't his Beloved."

"I handed him his most no-so-secret desire on a fucking silver platter! His Beloved, begging for forgiveness, kissing him - hell, Slade, I even _look_ like his Beloved now!" Tim gestured to his face, the missing eye behind the eyepatch. "Tell me how he was supposed to resist that!"

"Jason knows you aren't his Beloved, and that no matter what memories have control of you, you are not his Timothy. What happened last night wasn't your fault, so quit blaming yourself."

Tim turned and hurled the half empty water bottle across the room. It hit the wall with enough force to break the plastic and send water flying. "It's not me, Slade? _I'm_ not me! I'm _losing_ me! Every memory, every injury, I keep losing more of me, Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne, son of Jackson and Janet, adopted son of Bruce, third Robin to Batman, now Red Robin, part of the Teen Titans! All I see, all I _know_ some days, is Timothy Jackson Drake, son of Jackson and Janet, protégé of Deathstroke, Beloved of Jason Todd al Ghul and member of the League of Assassin called the Dragon."

Looking at Tim, Slade knew that Tim would never blame Jason for what happened between them the previous night, because Tim blamed himself, for losing himself in the memories of this world's Tim.

"God, Slade..." Tim trailed off, looking at the towel in his hands. "I've slept with both men and women before, but last night...if that's what Jason and Tim had together, if that's what it was always like for them, how can I blame Jason for wanting one more night, or blame him for last night?"

That answered one question Slade had been partially wondering about.

"I need to get home. Before I stop being me. Before your Tim, Jason's Tim, is all that's left." Tim sighed. "I want to go home," he said softly.

Slade walked forward, pulling Tim into a hug. "We will get you home, kid."

Tim snorted. "We don't really know how I ended up here, Slade."

"But we will get you home. I promise."

Tim didn't say anything for a long time. When he finally pulled back, he looked at Slade. "Another round?"

Slade smiled, knowing Tim was hiding his feelings in the fight. "You're on."

* * *

Hours later, Slade picked up his communicator and dialed into a frequency he hadn't used in years. "Arsenal."

"Deathstroke," came the wary reply.

"I think we need to employ that contingency plan."

Slade could hear the smile in Harper's voice. "Just tell me when and where."

"Tonight. The docks." Slade looked at Oracle's mask on his computer screen. "I've got a plan."


	18. Contingency Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slade puts his contingency plan into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character Death!

Talia would probably be pissed as hell, Slade thought, but this was fitting. Both he and Harper agreed on that.

He looked down at the melee on the docks. Oracle had arranged for the Gotham media to be present at this battle. So far they were staying well out of the way, likely a result of Batman throwing a batarang at a camera man who had gotten in Batman's line of sight. 

Settling back in behind the scope of his rifle, Slade kept his focus on Batman. Arsenal was on a different building, waiting, his sights set on Raptor. Robin wasn't present, so Oracle had put a different plan in place for that. Slade and Arsenal waited with the patience of snipers. They had the right ammunition, they just needed the right circumstances.

Arsenal's rifle discharged twenty minutes into the battle, and Raptor went down. Batman stopped his fight, turning toward his lover, screaming the man's code name. Those few moments gave Slade his shot. He let out half a breath and squeezed the trigger.

Batman went down.

The Gotham media (and Slade noticed that Lois Lane and Clark Kent had somehow known to be there) were speechless, staring at their city's dark 'hero' and his protege as they lay on the ground. Two ninja moved forward cautiously, checking pulses, and discreetly disarming the security on the suits. Once death was confirmed, the ninja melted into the night, leaving the cooling bodies lying on the ground.

"R is secured," Oracle said in Slade's ear.

Slade smirked, knowing Talia would maybe appreciate the delivery of her youngest son. "Did D see?" Slade asked as watched the media, cameras rolling, creep to the bodies. Lois Lane and Vicki Vale looked like they were going to argue over who would remove Batman's cowl. Lois Lane eventually deferred to Vicki Vale at Clark's discreet cough. Clark apparently felt Gotham media should unmask the Batman, not the out of town reporters, given that the man under the cowl was the mayor of Gotham, the city's high society 'prince'.

"He did," Oracle replied. "As did F and T."

Vale pulled back the cowl on Batman, and her gasp of shock was audible to Slade. She immediately moved to Raptor, pulling off his half cowl to reveal Dick Grayson. 

"Best damn live TV I've seen in a while," Oracle said with a chuckle. "Social media networks are going nuts. Hashtag BruceWayneIsBatman is trending."

Slade had no idea what that meant, so he said nothing as he disassembled the rifle and packed it away before the police arrived. Arsenal must have been doing the same, as he didn't respond either.

"This was not the plan, Slade," Talia said coolly into the communicator.

"No." Slade closed the lid on his rifle case.

"He should have been mine."

"He was mine for what he did to my sons," Slade growled.

There was silence on the line for long moments. Slade snuck down the fire escape, avoiding the lights of the GCPD vehicles. Harper waited by the bikes, and gave Slade a nod as he got onto his own bike. They started the engines and took off.

"All right, Slade," Talia finally said. "It is done anyway." The line clicked off and Slade and Harper rode on in silence until they were almost back at the safe house where they'd started their night from. Then the line clicked back on.

"Thank you," a small voice said before the line closed again. 

Slade closed his eyes briefly. "You're welcome, son," he said, to both Tim Drakes.


	19. Sons and Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the death of Batman and Raptor, things between Talia and Slade get touchy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *waves* Hi. Nope, this story isn't dead, despite all appearances (it was just in Tahiti, a magical place... wait, wrong fandom). I have several more chapters to edit and post, although I don't have an ending yet - Tim won't tell me where he will end up. *sighs*
> 
> Also, I've posted a related chapter about Bruce and Dick's relationship, called [Resurrection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1077413). It's now Part 3 of the Beloved series, set before "Beloved" and "Mourning".

"I didn't think you would keep him alive."

Talia didn't turn from the observation window as Slade stopped next to her. "Is it wrong of a mother to hope she can reclaim her son?" Damian lay on a hospital bed, still under the effect of the sedative, wrists and ankles secured to the bed. Everything else had been removed from the room, anything Damian could use as a weapon.

"No, but this son spent the last three years with Batman and Raptor, I doubt he's going to think highly of you, or me for that matter, since I killed his father."

Talia turned to Slade. "Yes, you did kill him." She crossed her arms over her chest. "We had a plan, Slade. We'd even gotten the Justice League on board with it, and you go off on your own and take him down in such an anti-climactic way that we were lucky that those reporters were there and willing to unmask Batman and Raptor."

Slade stared into the room at Damian, not looking at Talia. "How long would it have taken for the Justice League to agree it was the right time for the plan? A month, two months, a year? You know they were looking for any reason to capture Batman and Raptor and Robin first, to keep them alive, so their precious morals would be appeased."

"And you had your _sons_ to avenge, instead of my father." 

Slade clearly didn't miss the emphasis that Talia she had placed on the word sons. "Yes, I did. And your father was avenged. Perhaps not by your hand, but by someone who loves you and Jason and knows how his death affected the two of you. And we did retrieve Damian for you."

Talia gave Slade a look. "I had vowed to kill him, Slade." His seeming declaration of love for her, and perhaps a paternal affection for Jason, could be dealt with later.

"I know. I have no regrets. He is dead. Raptor is dead."

Sighing, Talia turned back to the window to watch her youngest son. "And Damian is too focused on his father to be useful to us."

"Don't give up on him too easily, Talia. However much easier you think it might be to find a ... permanent solution for Damian, trust me. It doesn't matter how close you are or how bad of a relationship you have with your sons, losing them eats at your soul until there's very little left."

Slade turned on his heel and walked away from her. "You know that Tim isn't Timothy," Talia called after him. "He isn't your son."

Slade turned around and glared at her with an expression she hadn't seen since the dark days after Timothy's death. "Tim is my son, even if he doesn't think so. I've trained him, as much as I've trained Timothy. I've dealt with his issues with _your_ son, the way I did with Timothy's. I know he's not Timothy, I know he's fighting, every moment, _not_ to let Timothy overwhelm him and just give in to the memories and be our Timothy again. And for that, I do consider him my son, and I would do anything for him, including killing the Batman for what he did to a young man who wasn't even his true enemy." Slade shook his head. "I don't care that Bruce Wayne was your Beloved, that he was Damian's father, or that I will come second, no, third in your heart, behind Jordan, behind Wayne. What I care about is that Bruce Wayne and his demonic protégé killed my son and damn near tried to kill my other son. So, yes, Talia, I killed him. And Arsenal killed Raptor. Deal with it."

Blinking, Talia stared at Slade. "You are not third behind Bruce, Slade."

That earned her a snort of disbelief. "Right. He's the one you call Beloved, he's the one you have spent all this time obsessing over."

"Because he killed my father and stole my son!" Talia shouted.

"And he's still your Beloved. I know where I stand Talia. Behind Jordan, behind Wayne. But I was not going to let that get in the way of making sure my sons, and your sons, had the chance to heal from the damage Wayne caused." He turned and walked off, not looking behind him.

Talia turned back to the window. Damian still lay on the bed, seemingly unconscious. She clenched her fists at her side.

"Surprised Slade hadn't said that before."

"Jason, now isn't the time."

"Why not?" Jason leaned against the wall next to the observation window, watching her. He didn't look in at his younger brother. "For as long as you've been with Slade, as long as I was with, no, _longer_ than I was with my Timothy, you never accorded him the title of ‘Beloved’ that you gave to the man that sired Damian. You can't tell me you don't love Slade, mother. I can see it in your face."

"Slade knows how I feel for him."

"Clearly he doesn't. Wouldn't hurt you to actually say it sometimes, you know. Sure, he's Deathstroke the Fucking Terminator, but that doesn't mean he's a machine. You've seen him with Timothy, you know how he was about Grant and Joey and Rose. And I've seen how he looks at you, and how he looks when you called Wayne ‘Beloved’. Can't say I liked hearing it, after everything he did to our family."

"I did love him, Jason."

"And you loved my father." Jason paused. "Did you call him Beloved?"

Talia sighed. "I did. Hal would laugh at it, he was not one for endearments when aimed at him, at least ones that weren't flight related, but I think he enjoyed it."

"And you think Slade wouldn't enjoy hearing it from you? Or was it just because Batman was alive that you were still using it for him?"

Talia glared at Jason. "This line of interrogation is inappropriate, Jason."

"Mother, I'm about to lose the closest thing I will ever get to having my own Beloved back, you think I want to lose Slade too? On top of dealing with my little brother who has been raised by that psychotic Bat and his pet Raptor these past few years, and developed a taste for killing that puts the League to shame? I think I'm entitled to a few moments of inappropriateness so my mother doesn't end up alone the way I will be." He pushed away from the wall. "I love you, but I don't want to see you alone."

"I don't want you alone either, Jason," Talia said softly.

Jason gave her a small, sad smile, coming over to kiss her cheek. "Unfortunately, Mother, it's inevitable in my case. But not in yours."

He left her then, and Talia turned back to Damian. So much like her Bel-- like Bruce. Her skin tone, darker than Jason's own, but the black hair and blue eyes of a Wayne. The child she'd borne at her father's request, when he felt the Bat could be brought to his side. Little did he know that same Bat would one day end his life to bring back the Bat's true Beloved, Dick Grayson. 

"Let me know when he wakes up," she said to the attendant that had hovered a discreet distance from her this entire time, before turning to find Slade. They needed to have this out once and for all.


	20. Spark of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Tim, we've found a way to send you home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Another update? Yeah, I'm going to be away from a computer for a few days, so I thought I'd spoil you with more chapters. Enjoy!

"Tim, we've found a way to send you home."

Talia's gentle voice was at odds with the impact her words made. Tim felt as if something had slammed into his chest, bruising it, shattering ribs, piercing his heart.

Home.

"We've managed to get our universe's counterpart of the device that brought you here working, and we can send you home," Oracle said from the screen where her mask floated.

"What about his memories?" Slade growled from where he stood next to Tim. The two of them had been sparring in the gym when one of the ninjas had summoned them to the war room. Slade had been pissed off about something, something he wouldn't talk to Tim about, so Tim had offered to spar with him. Slade hadn't held back, but neither had Tim. It had been a good spar.

Hiro Okumura stepped forward. "The device was designed to do a one for one transfer, one Tim Drake for another. With the memories being transferred, due to our Tim Drake's death.... we can't tell what will happen. The memories of our Tim Drake could remain, or they could disappear. But the memories he's gained from being here, those will stay."

Tim swallowed. "So I might still remember what happened to your Timothy _and_ what happened to me?"

"Or you could only remember what happened to you here," Talia said gently. "But, Timothy, this is your choice. Your decision if you go home or not. We will not force you."

Slade put a hand on Tim's shoulder, but didn't say anything.

"I need time to think," Tim finally said.

"All the time you need, Timothy," Talia replied.

"I'll send the relevant documents to your inbox," Oracle said.

Tim nodded at them and left the room. Slade followed him out. "Do you need to be alone?"

"I don't know," Tim said, heading back to the gym for lack of anything better to do. He pulled out his bo staff and began moving through a routine that Slade had helped him adapt after losing his eye to Batman. "Going home means seeing Bruce and Dick again. Even if they're not the ones that tortured me, tortured your Timothy..."

"They're still Bruce and Dick, and those memories will stay with you, the ones that you actually lived through." Slade moved, adjusting Tim's stance.

"Yeah," Tim sighed. "That's the problem. Can I look at the man I call brother, at the man I followed for so long, and not see the Bruce and Dick from here?"

"I can't answer that."

Tim stopped. "Dick would think I was crazy for saying this, but part of me really wants to ask you to come with me. I feel... safer... I don't know if that’s the right word... with you."

He found himself in a hug, Slade's arms around him. Tim leaned against Slade. 

"At this point, I would be tempted to go with you, but... That would mean the other Slade came here."

"Not sure I'd want to subject Talia and Jason to him. Or him to them," Tim admitted.

"Look, kid. No matter what you decide, you know I'll back you."

"I know, Slade." Tim sighed and pulled back, idly twirling his bo staff. "I don't think I can pass up this chance to go home. At least try to regain my life there. If I stay here... I'm afraid I'll lose me to your Timothy. And as much as that might please some people—"

"Not me."

Tim stared at Slade. The older man shrugged. "I loved my son, and I see you as a son, but you are different people, Tim. You deserve your own lives. I'm pretty sure Jason feels the same way."

"Does he?"

"What do you think?"

"He’s going to be devastated when I leave. Losing his Beloved again." _While I get to go home to a Jason Todd that calls me Replacement and hates my guts for being Robin,_ Tim thought. _And a Talia al Ghul who would wouldn't care if Damian killed me, who isn't Jason's mother. And a Slade Wilson who isn't my father figure, my mentor. Something I'd never_ thought _I would consider._

"He'll support what you decide, Tim."

"He'll have to. I've pretty much decided. I can't afford to lose _me_ , Slade."

Slade reached out and put his hand on Tim's shoulder. "Then you'll go home, Tim. But if you wouldn't mind sparing some time to finish our sparring match?" He pulled out his sword with a predatory grin.

Tim swung his staff around, settling into a ready position with a matching grin on his face. "I wouldn't mind at all."


	21. One Last Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Jason talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, another chapter! Enjoy!

"Jason."

Tim's voice, so like and yet unlike his Beloved's. Jason set down the tablet computer he'd been working on and turned to face the younger man. Tim hovered in the doorway of Jason's bedroom, his new bedroom, not the one he'd shared with his Beloved. Not the one he'd shared that one night with Tim when the other man had believed he was Jason's Beloved.

"Tim. They told you." He could see the knowledge in Tim's eyes.

"They did." Tim stepped forward a bit. "I'm going home, Jason. I have to. I can't..." Tim trailed off, fists clenching.

"You don't need to justify your actions to me, Tim."

"No, but I want to explain. Because this has nothing to do with you, with that night we spent. It's everything to do with me, with me not being able to separate what is your Beloved Tim from what is me, and I worry that if I stay here, there won't be anything left of _me_ to go home." He paused, then continued softly. "But you'd have your Beloved."

Jason got up from his desk and moved to stand by Tim, putting one hand on Tim's shoulder, the one that should have held the tattoo that Jason's Beloved Tim had. "But I wouldn't," Jason said just as softly. "Not really. You are two different people, Tim. And do you think I could live with myself, knowing that I'd essentially killed _you_ to get my Beloved back? That would make me no better than the Batman, killing everyone to get his Robin back. If I couldn't accept him killing my grandfather, how can I accept me killing you?"

Tim didn't look up, but didn't flinch from Jason's hand either. Jason considered that a good sign, considering they hadn't been in the same room, alone, since that one night. "You can't tell me you don't look at me and not see _him_ ," Tim said softly.

"Not anymore," Jason replied. "Yes, you look a lot like him now, more so than when you arrived," he added with a small wry grin, "but you aren't my Timothy. I know he's not coming back, Tim. I've accepted that. But I am glad to have met you, Tim." He let his hand slide up to stroke a thumb across Tim's cheekbone, under the patch covering his missing eye. Tim didn't flinch at that, either. In fact, he leaned into the touch a bit, his good eye closing. Jason didn't move, wondering what Tim was thinking. This Tim wasn't as easy to read as his had been, but then again, different experiences, different lives. He and Tim had been together for years, knew each other before then. Had fought together before their first kiss. They'd been open books to each other.

"I'll miss you," Tim said softly. "But I can't stay."

"I know."

Tim seemed to be debating with himself for a moment, then he pushed himself up on tiptoe and pressed his mouth to Jason's. Jason stood still, not wanting to take advantage of Tim. He’d done that before, when Tim had been under the influence of Timothy's memories. He wasn't going to do that again. 

Tim pulled back. "Sorry, I just..." he trailed off, turning to leave. 

"Tim." He couldn't think of anything else to say. Tim left the room, but Jason swore he heard him say, on his way out, _"I just wanted to have my own memory of kissing you."_

Jason swallowed, wanting to call after Tim, to kiss him as Tim. But he didn't. He couldn't, wouldn't, do anything that might unfairly influence Tim into staying here. Into losing himself in favor of Jason's Timothy.

It wasn't worth it to get his Beloved back in that manner. Not when it would cost both Tim and Jason their souls.


	22. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim finally returns home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for this evening!

Three days later, Tim stepped up to the device, his bo staff in one hand just in case he had to fight his way out of somewhere, in case Barbara and Hiro were wrong and this wasn't his universe he was going to. He turned back to the others, giving Talia a small smile, Slade a larger one. Jason stepped forward and handed Tim a sheathed knife, Tim's Red Robin symbol etched into the hilt. "Just in case," he said softly.

"I'm sorry I can't stay, can't-" 

Jason cut Tim off. "I know. I understand. You can't be my Timothy, and you have people in your own world who need you. Go be with them, Tim. Just remember, we're here if you need us."

Slade stepped forward as well, giving Tim a small hug. "You are always welcome back." He handed Tim another version of his bo staff, collapsed. "Put a few non-lethal tricks in it, you should have fun finding them," he murmured with a grin. Tim couldn't help but grin back. 

Slade stepped aside in time for Talia to fasten something around Tim’s wrist. He looked down to see a silver bracelet with an unfamiliar symbol engraved into it. "In our world, if you show this to any member of the League of Assassins, they will give you any assistance you ask for, without question," she said. "I hope it will work the same way in your world as in ours, but even if it does not, at the very least remember me by it."

Tim smiled at her. "I doubt I would ever forget you, Talia," he said, with a slight emphasis on 'you'. She was unforgettable for everything she'd been to him here.

Talia pressed a kiss to Tim’s forehead. "Be well, Timothy," she said, smoothing a hand over his hair. Tim smiled back at them and waited for them to step to a safe distance. They were the only four in the room. Talia and Slade’s fingers entangled, a clear sign that whatever rift had been between them was resolved now.

"Thank you, for everything," Tim said. "Be safe." He reached out and put his hand on the device -

Bright white, blinding, heat, cold, nauseating motion. Tim tried to get his bearings, and found himself smacking into something hard and unforgiving and slightly cold.

"TIM!" he heard an all too familiar voice yell, and Tim reacted on instinct, turning so his back wasn't to the voice, his bo staff out to hit at the Batman, to not let him get closer, not take his eye again, not take him from his Beloved. He would not get Tim again. "Stay back," he growled, eye barely open. 

He heard a gasp, then another familiar voice sounded close by. "Timmy?" 

He swung toward that voice, bo staff catching them, resulting in a yelp. "Tim!"

_Robin, calm yourself,_ a familiar voice entered his mind. _It's me, M'gann, Miss Martian. You're home, Tim. You're home._

Tim stopped. Home. That's right, he was home, he'd touched the device, and it had taken him from that other universe to home. He slowly uncurled, looking up. Surrounding him were the members of the Justice League and the Teen Titans. Everyone gasped at the sight of his face, his eye. In front were two versions of Batman, and Tim froze, seeing in his mind the cave, the scalpel being wielded by Batman, descending toward his eye. "No," he whimpered, scrambling back from them.

"Batman, step back," the Martian Manhunter ordered. "Give him room."

Kon shouldered his way forward and knelt next to Tim, leaving his hands on his thighs. "Rob?" he asked. "You know where you are?"

"The Watchtower," Tim said, blinking. "I'm home?" he asked, looking to Kon.

"Yeah, Rob, you're home." Kon put a hand on Tim's shoulder, squeezing it. The familiar motion and strength, something only Kon ( _Slade_ ) ever did to him, was grounding. Tim took another deep breath, slowing calming down.

"I will not step back, J'onn," Bruce growled, and Tim tensed again at the growl, too close to that other Batman, the one that had taken his eye, the one that had taken Timothy's eye.

"Get out of my way, Wonder Girl," Dick growled, and Tim found himself scrambling back on instinct, to get away from the voice of the man who had participated in his torture, who had killed him, no, killed Jason's Beloved...

A sharp prick to his neck had him opening his eyes. Kon gave Tim an apologetic smile, handing the syringe in his hand back to Superman. "Need you to calm down, man. Your heart is racing." He kept his hand on Tim's shoulder. "You're home," he said as Tim’s world started going dark. "You're home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, this is not the end of the story, in case you were wondering. There's still more angst ahead!


	23. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That was a trio he didn't think anyone would have bet on.

"Well?"

Bruce's voice was harsher than his usual Batman growl as he confronted Doctor Mid-Nite. The Justice Society of America doctor regarded Bruce calmly.

"He has no present injuries, no signs of malnutrition-"

"No injuries? His _eye_ is missing!" Dick exclaimed.

Clark put a hand on Dick's shoulder. "Please continue, Doctor," he asked calmly. He and Kon were the only other people in the room. The entire roster Justice League of America and the Teen Titans would have been in the room, but Mid-Nite had refused to let that many people into his medical facility. They'd finally compromised on Clark and Kon as the two representatives of the various teams. Kon because Tim had seemed calmer with his best friend's presence, and Clark because he was the closest thing Bruce had to a best friend, and someone who could go toe to toe with either Batman if needed to protect Tim from his demons.

"His eye is missing, yes, but that injury is several months old, and has been healed for some time. Whoever administered medical care to him was good, leaving the socket intact such that Red Robin will be able to use an artificial eye if he chooses to." 

Dick's shoulders released some of their tension and he whispered "Thank God" at hearing that.

"He has some bruising in the rib area, and some on the arms, but nothing else requires medical attention at this time. Although I can't discount the psychological injures that may have led to him not trusting either Batman when he returned here." He hesitated, and Clark spoke up.

"Is it possible that the version of Batman in whatever universe he'd been in was abusive toward him, causing the reaction? Not all universes are like ours," he added before Dick could get indignant on Bruce's behalf.

Before Mid-Nite could reply, Tim stirred behind him in the hospital bed, the sedative wearing off. "Slade?" he asked muzzily, eye not open. "Talia? Jason?"

Every person in the room froze. Tim Drake possibly calling out for Slade Wilson was not something Clark had ever expected to hear, but to add Talia al Ghul into the mix? And possibly Jason Todd? That was a trio he didn't think anyone would have bet on. 

"Tim," Bruce said, moving toward the bed, reaching out for the younger man's hand.

The reaction was immediate. Tim went from still partially sedated to alert and tense, not moving off the bed but his good eye was focused on Batman in a way that Clark had only seen when Tim was on the street as Robin, facing down a criminal. The tension mounted when Dick stepped forward. "Tim, it's us."

Kon zipped between Tim and the two men. "Can't you see that you're only making him freak out? Give him time to adjust to being home."

Tim hadn't taken his eye away from the two Batmen, but he had relaxed a bit when Kon had placed himself between Tim and the danger he perceived.

"Superboy," Bruce growled.

"Batman," Clark replied. "Superboy is right. Red Robin needs time to adjust to being back home."

Bruce took another step forward, clearly trying to intimidate Kon. The younger Kryptonian stood his ground, even as Tim gasped out a soft, "Don't."

That had Bruce pausing. Clark understood why. He'd never heard that note of fear in Red Robin's voice before - fear of Batman.

"I want hourly updates," Bruce finally growled at Mid-Nite, with an added glare for Clark, before he turned and walked out of the room. Dick gave one last look at his younger brother before following their mentor out of the room. When they were gone, Tim all but collapsed, as if staying alert had taken all his energy. Mid-Nite moved over to check on Tim, and Kon and Clark drew nearer.

"Tim, what happened?" Kon asked, worry for his best friend evident in his voice. He reached out and put his hand on Tim's. Clark expected Tim to pull his own hand away, but Tim didn't move.

"'m tired, Kon," Tim said in reply, eye closing. "Talk later?"

Conner looked up at Mid-Nite, who nodded back. "Yeah, Tim, we'll talk later. Get some sleep."

Tim closed his eyes, asleep within moments. Kon turned back to look at Clark, a frown on his face. "If I didn't know better, I'd say Batman was the one who took his eye. But why?"

"I don't know," Clark replied honestly. "We'll have to wait until Tim tells us."

"If he tells us," Kon said with a small smile aimed at his best friend. "He's a Bat."

Clark chuckled and led Kon from the room. "That he is. He's resilient, Kon. He'll tell us. When he's ready."

"Is it wrong of me to want to go to whatever universe he was in and kick that Batman's ass, anyway?"

Clark didn't try to hide his smile. "No, but you'll have to get in line, I think. Starting with me."

Kon's chuckle echoed off the walls. "He wouldn't know what hit him, with the two of us."

"No, he wouldn't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack, I'm running low on chapters already written and I don't know what Tim is doing!


	24. Alfred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred visits Tim.

Tim's second awakening happened when Dick, Alfred, and Mid-Nite were the only ones in his hospital room, a full day after his first awakening. As before, he woke calling for Slade, Talia, and Jason. This time, Dick kept his mouth shut and let Alfred and Mid-Nite take charge, Dick staying out of the way, but not in the shadows. He'd also lowered the cowl, wanting to be Tim's brother, not Batman at this moment. Batman did seem to have a negative effect on Tim. Alfred was in a mask and not in his usual suit, but still, his voice would be enough, they hoped, to reassure Tim.

Once Mid-Nite had checked Tim, he left the room. Alfred removed the mask, as it was just the three of them (four if one counted that Oracle would be watching the camera). "Master Timothy," he said softly, moving into Tim's line of sight on his good side.

"Hey, Alfred," Tim said tiredly.

"It is good to have you home," Alfred said with a smile. He handed Tim his eye patch when Tim looked around for it. 

"Good to be home," Tim replied as he put on the patch. "Those were a long few months in that universe."

Few months? Tim had only been missing five weeks here. Dick frowned, making a note to check on time distortion between universes.

"Bruce didn't have me moved to the Cave?" Tim asked, a slight hesitation on Bruce's name, if one knew Tim's speech peculiarities. 

"Doctor Mid-Nite felt it would be better if you were on the Watchtower where he could monitor you. Master Bruce has returned to the Cave to finish examining the device that you'd touched before disappearing."

"Tell him not to touch it," Tim said urgently, his eye widening.

Alfred patted Tim on the arm. Tim didn't flinch. "He won't let anyone touch it, since you disappeared. I'm presuming that took you to that other universe?"

"It's how I got back as well, but they had to test it to make sure it would get me home to the right universe. I don't even know if it would send anyone to the same universe or not." Tim frowned. "Where are my things?"

Alfred gestured to the box that Mid-Nite had put Tim's uniform and items in. "They're all there, Master Timothy. I must say, the knife was a surprise."

"Gift," Tim said succinctly. "As were the second bo staff and bracelet."

"From the people you stayed with?" Alfred asked mildly as he helped Tim sit up. "Talia and Jason and Slade, I believe you called for."

The change was dramatic. Tim shut down, without moving a muscle. "Yes," he confirmed. "Talia al Ghul, Slade Wilson, and Jason Todd."

"You did not stay with Master Bruce in that world?"

Tim went absolutely still. "No." He looked over at Dick. "Nor with you," he said.

Dick stepped forward, and Tim did flinch this time. Dick stopped. "Tim, what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Dick."

"Tim, you need to—"

"I can't talk about it to you." Tim turned away from him, but still kept Dick in his peripheral vision. Dick recognized the way Tim moved slightly, a move that reminded him of Slade Wilson. Tim clearly had been with Slade, and apparently Slade had been a bit of a mentor to Tim in that other universe.

"Tim—"

"No, Dick. I _can't_." Tim's voice was icier than when they'd been at their most estranged, when Bruce had been presumed dead and Dick had first taken the cowl, and taken Robin from Tim to give to Damian. "Just, I can't."

Alfred looked at Dick, who nodded. He would back off, for now. But Tim would have to talk sometime, and then, then he could begin to heal. 

"Rest for now, Master Timothy. I'll be back later." Alfred put his hand on Tim's shoulder and smiled at him. Tim gave him a small smile back. 

"Thanks, Alfred."

Alfred helped Tim lay back down, then he picked up his mask and put it back on before he left the room with Dick.

"Tim was trained by Slade Wilson in that universe, probably after he lost his eye," Dick said. "I recognize some of the moves he was using to keep me in sight. Subtle ones but ones Slade uses."

"It would make sense, if Master Timothy wanted to cope with his change in circumstances, to seek out one who turned them into an advantage."

Dick nodded. "But the fact that he can't talk about anything with me... I don't think that's just because of my history with Slade."

"No," Alfred said sadly. "I think that may be because of something that other Master Bruce and you did to him in that world."

"You think we could have taken his eye?" Dick tried to imagine a version of himself being that cruel.

"We won't know until Master Timothy feels comfortable enough to speak about it." Alfred sighed. "Hopefully, that will be sooner than later. He doesn't need to keep that bottled up. It will fester."

Dick sighed. "It's Tim, though. He has a habit of doing that."

"Then we shall just have to make sure he doesn't."

They parted once they reached the manor, Dick to patrol and Alfred to attend to his duties. When Dick returned to the cave in the early hours of the morning, Bruce was there, a hard to read expression on his face.

"Tim is missing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides*


	25. Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce researches one of the items that Tim brought back with him.

"Where did you get that?"

Bruce turned to look at his youngest son. Damian, in costume, stood behind him at the computer, looking at the screen with a frown on his face. Bruce turned back to look at the picture of the silver bracelet that Tim had been wearing on his return to the Watchtower from that other universe. He'd also had a knife with his Red Robin logo engraved on it and a bo staff that didn't quite appear to a twin to the one he usually carried. Bruce hadn't had much time to look at it but he'd seen that it had a few slightly nasty tricks in it.

"Why do you ask?" Bruce asked Damian.

"Because it's a League of Assassins' design."

Bruce paused. Tim had called out for Talia upon waking. "What does it mean?"

"It's old. Grandfather doesn't use the bracelet anymore, according to mother, but there are a few still handed down in certain families that have aided the League in extraordinary ways in the past. If you show that to a League member, they will aid you in any way you need, no questions asked. Based on that particular design, whoever had that did something very extraordinary for the League, and that means even Grandfather would help them without asking questions."

Bruce made a noise. Tim had helped the League of Assassins, more than likely Talia al Ghul, in such an extraordinary way in that other universe, that she'd given him this bracelet. For use in that other universe, or for use in this one? Would Ra's al Ghul honor a bracelet from another universe?

For Tim, he would. Ra's al Ghul had been far too interested in Tim for years. He would use this as a way to lure in Tim, doing him a favor no questions asked.

"Watchtower to Batman." Mid-Nite's voice broke into Bruce's musings.

"Batman here."

"Red Robin has gone missing."

In the background, he heard Damian make a 'tt' noise, but all Bruce could think was that his Robin had gone missing, again. Had Talia or Slade come to retrieve him?

"I'll be right there." He was not losing Tim again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides more*


	26. Retreat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim needs to find a place to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, sorry, but Tim just needed to get some thoughts out before the next one.

The room was empty when Tim woke for the third time. He lay on the bed, eyes closed, trying to put himself back together. He was home, his home, his universe. His Batman.

He shied away from that thought. He couldn't cope with that yet. So he concentrated on the other differences. Mid-Nite was definitely Pieter Cross, not Lex Luthor. Kon had been here with him, and Kon hadn't been in that other universe, at least not with the Justice League or the Teen Titans.

So he was home, on the Watchtower. Bruce, Dick, and Alfred had come to see him here, had been here the last few times he had woken up. Tim opened his eyes, making sure again that he was alone in the room, and sat up. He rested his head in his hands. They would want him to come home, to the Manor. He swallowed and closed his eyes, picturing the manor. His room, the kitchen, the entrance hall, the living room - all of those he could think of with no problem. But the study, the entrance to the cave, the cave itself. . . he started shaking, terror ripping through him. He tried to calm himself down, only succeeding when he remembered sparring with Slade, Talia watching them, offering cutting comments on both of their techniques, making Tim laugh and Slade growl. Talia and Slade had left together, their body language clearly indicating to Tim they were going to engage in other physical activity in their suite. He'd felt a pang of envy, his memories of his counterpart and Jason doing the same thing contrasting to his own feelings on the matter.

Calmed down, Tim opened his eyes. He couldn't go home to the manor, not yet. Not when he would be too close to the scene of the crime, or crimes, depending on if you counted just his experience or the memories he had of the other universe's Tim. 

Getting up off the infirmary bed, Tim headed over to where his clothing and his items were stored on a counter. Dressing quickly, he put all his weapons away and headed for the door. Oracle was probably watching, so he had a small window to get to the teleporter room before she sent someone to intercept him.

Fortunately, he didn't see anyone on the way there. He quickly set the controls for a location near, but not too near, his ultimate destination, then set the computer to wipe the destination without a trace. But since Oracle or Batman might be able to recover it, so he couldn't go directly where he wanted to go.

Stepping onto the teleporter pad, Tim looked at the camera and nodded before remotely activating the device, disappearing to a hopefully neutral place where he could recover in peace and figure out what to do next.


	27. Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim seeks sanctuary with the one person who he thinks won't trigger memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this is an AU world, I'm pulling from a lot of different comic sources, and some of them may have gotten jumbled for character timelines. Sorry in advance.

Hal Jordan, otherwise known as Green Lantern 2814.1, paused as he hovered over the Midwest, looking down at the distant landmarks of earth. The meeting on the Watchtower hadn't gone well, by most standards, so instead of taking the transport beam directly to Coast City, he'd gone to Denver and let himself fly from there. He paused and looked down at his ring, wondering.

Batman had been in a tizzy over Tim Drake, Red Robin, disappearing within hours of returning from the other dimension that he'd been trapped in for weeks. Weeks that had apparently been months in that dimension, a time distortion that he suspected even the Guardians would be surprised to hear of. Tim had come back a greatly changed young man, the biggest change being the loss of his right eye, and the patch he now wore in place of it. The less obvious changes were the way he wouldn't talk about what had happened to him (according to Nightwing) and the way he shied away from almost every other member of the Bat family. With the exception of Alfred, who seemed to be the exception to a lot of things, if what Clark said was anything to judge by.

Bruce had been legitimately worried about Tim's disappearance, asking the Justice League for help. But Clark, and even Conner, hadn't been able to find Tim, meaning the younger man was definitely hiding himself from Kryptonian abilities. But would he be able to hide from a Green Lantern ring....

"Ring. Locate Timothy Drake, a.k.a. Red Robin."

«Searching». The ring replied. «Subject: Timothy Drake, a.k.a. Red Robin, located. Location: Coast City, apartment of Hal Jordan, Green Lantern 2814.1.»

Behind his mask, Jordan blinked. Tim was in his apartment? Why? Well, other than the obvious - Hal and Batman had never gotten along, especially after Hal had come back from the dead, so hiding at Hal's apartment was actually a sneaky Bat thing to do. Bruce wouldn't look for Tim there.

Turning, Hal flew towards Coast City and home, letting himself smile at the sight of his city as she came into view. He made sure no one was around, then drifted down onto the balcony of his apartment and let the ring dissolve his uniform back into the jeans, t-shirt, and leather bomber jacket that he'd been wearing before Bruce had called the League together.

He rapped on the glass before pulling it open, knowing that surprising a Bat was usually a bad idea, even if you could do it. Inside, a dark haired young man on Hal's couch stirred, Tim's one good eye blinking sleepily at Hal, the other missing eye hidden under a fall of bangs. Hal waved and let himself into his apartment, sliding the door shut behind him. "Hey, Tim," he said casually. "No, don't get up," he added when Tim looked like he was about to get off the couch. "I'll be right back."

He went into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water and a beer out of the fridge. He went back to the living room and offered them to Tim. "Drink?"

Tim blinked, his eye patch back in place now. "I'm underage."

Hal shrugged. "You're old enough to go out in Gotham beating up criminals, you're old enough to travel to alternate universes, you're old enough to drink in my book," Hal said.

The younger man took the bottle of water, and Hal sat down in his chair, twisting the cap off the beer. He'd figured that Tim would prefer the water, but wanted to give the younger man the choice. It seemed like a lot of his choices had been taken from him recently, at least in Hal's mind. He knew Bruce had been very protective towards Tim since the younger man had finally showed up on the Watchtower, sent back by the people in the other universe. He'd not been very responsive to anyone at the time, though, shying away from all of them, even Superman and Batman. Even Nightwing, which was something Hal didn't think he'd ever see with Tim. Only Superboy had been able to get through to him.

Hal let the silence sit between them, drinking his beer and looking out the window to the sunset over Coast City. His city, the one he had done unspeakable things for, let Parallax in just to try to bring her back, and had somehow managed to bring back, in its own odd way. He wondered if this was what how Tim, how Bruce and Dick and Damian and the other Bats of Gotham, felt about their city.

"I suppose you’re wondering what I'm doing here," Tim finally said into the silence. 

"The question had crossed my mind," Hal admitted. "But I figured you would tell me when you were ready. And I have a spare bedroom if you're not ready and would rather go back to sleep. Things might be better in the morning."

"You truly don't mind that I'm here?"

Hal looked at Tim then. The young former Robin looked down at his water bottle with intense concentration. "I'm surprised that you'd consider my apartment a good place to get away to," he said finally, "but I don't mind. You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

Tim sagged against the couch, eye closing. "Thanks," he said.

"Not a problem." Hal went back to looking out the window, letting Tim take his time.

Ten minutes passed, more or less, before Tim spoke again. "You were the only one. Who wasn't..."

Hal waited, then said softly. "Wasn't what?"

Tim swallowed. "Wasn't there. In that other universe. You weren't the Green Lantern for Earth, Guy had been the first Green Lantern, and then John and then Kyle. Before I left there, a woman named Jordan Jayne had been chosen by a fourth ring for Earth, surprising the heck out of her. But I think she'll be a good Green Lantern, considering she had no qualms about hauling off and hitting Guy with a fabulous right hook when Guy made some rather, well, Guy-like comments about her figure. I'm told Black Canary was impressed."

Hal chuckled. The idea of a female Earth-based Green Lantern did and didn't surprise him. After all, a few women from Earth had been chosen as Star Sapphires, hell, Carol still was one. Why not a woman as a Green Lantern? "Sounds like she'll be a great addition to the Corps. Wonder what Kilowog thinks of her."

"Probably thinks she's a poozer." Tim gave Hal a grin, and Hal had to grin back. 

"Yeah, he probably does." Hal took a sip of his beer. "So, can I ask why I wasn't a Lantern?"

Tim bit his lip. "It's. Well. It's a bit of a story, tied into the people I was staying with over there."

"Talia al Ghul, Jason Todd, and Slade Wilson." According to Clark, Tim had called out for Jason, for Slade and for Talia upon awakening from sedation. Clark mentioned that Tim had missed the heartbreak that had crossed Bruce and Dick's faces, if one knew where to look for heartbreak on the Bat's faces, as Tim had asked for people who were the Bat family's enemies on this world.

"Talia... she's the daughter of Ra's al Ghul in both worlds. About twenty five years ago, in that world, she'd rebelled against her father and his plans for her and ran off to live a much more hidden and simpler life in California. Go figure," he added with a smile to Hal's snort. "But while she was there, she met a young test pilot for the Air Force." He looked at Hal seriously. 

Hal blinked. "Wait."

"Yeah."

"Me?"

"Yes."

" _Me?_ And _Talia al Ghul_?" Hal couldn't wrap his head around that. Especially with the knowledge that she and Bruce had been involved, to the point of her giving Bruce a child.

"Talia loved Hal, in that world. She might have later been involved with Bruce for her father's sake, but her time with Hal was a love match for her." Tim looked down at the silver bracelet he wore on his left wrist, the one he'd brought back with him from that other world. "He died, in a plane crash, when Talia was three months pregnant with their child. Their son, actually."

Hal could only blink at Tim more as he tried to process that. He and Talia al Ghul had had a son. A son. That he, in this other universe, had apparently never seen. Never got to hold or show the joy of flight, either by plane or Green Lantern ring.

Never got to do any of the things that he'd seen Wally do with his kids, Roy do with Lian, or even Ollie and Connor, though Connor had been older when he'd come back into Ollie's life.

"A son."

Tim nodded again. "Jason."

Hal had been taking a sip of his beer, and he barely managed to stop from spitting it across the room. "Jason. As in Jason _Todd_?"

"That universe was... unusual. But yes, Jason Todd was the son of Talia al Ghul and Hal Jordan, born while Talia was still hiding from her father under the assumed name of Catherine Todd... who is the step mother of Jason in this universe. So far as I can tell, this Jason Todd pretty much shares the name and some of the personality of his counterpart in the other universe. He's not your son here, Hal." Tim gave Hal a wry grin. "Trust me, if you were, you would know because Batman would have been on you about it, probably from the time that he took in Jason."

"Yeah, he probably would have been," Hal said. He looked at Tim, the way the younger man kept playing with the silver bracelet. "You didn't say much about what happened over there," he said. "I know it worries your family."

"I can't tell them," Tim said softly, swallowing. "I can't. I can't. I can't be around them, because of what happened, because I keep seeing it. Keep seeing them, as they were over there. I want... every time I woke up on the Watchtower, I panicked because they were there, kept wanting to escape and to find Talia or Jason or Slade, and then I remember that I'm home and I just can't."

"Tim," Hal said softly, getting up and carefully moving to sit next to Tim on the couch. He made sure he was in Tim's eyesight the entire time, not wanting to startle a trained ninja. Especially not one with a presumed blind side, though if the young man had been close to Slade Wilson in that other universe, then he probably was just as deadly as the assassin, blind side or not. "I mean it, you are welcome to stay here as long as possible if that makes you sleep better at night. And, if you want to talk, well, as you said, I wasn't in that universe. I'm surprised that I ended up with Talia al Ghul in that universe, but if she wasn't known to me, and I wasn't Green Lantern, well, who’s to say what could have happened?"

Sighing, Tim looked up at Hal, his blue eye shiny with unshed tears. "Is it wrong to miss them?"

"No," Hal said. "You were there for months, Tim. I'm guessing they became family to you?"

Tim nodded. "I." He bit his lip. "Maybe I should start from the beginning."

"Whatever you want, Tim." Hal concentrated for a moment, willing his ring to start recording this. He wanted to be able to play this back for Clark or Diana or maybe Bruce if someone needed to hear. Someone would need to know what had happened to Tim Drake in that alternate universe, and Hal wasn't exactly the counseling type. But if talking to Hal would give Tim the start he needed to heal from his ordeal, well, then, Hal wouldn't deny him that chance. Tim had gone through a lot in his life, and he'd done a lot to find Bruce when everyone else thought Bruce was dead. Someone should be there for Tim.

"The mechanism that took me to that other world, it was supposed to be a one to one exchange. Take the Tim Drake from that universe and bring him here and take me and put me there. Only, a few years before I got there, the Tim Drake in that universe was killed in a fight with..." Tim sighed. "With Raptor, the partner of Batman in Gotham."

Hal blinked at that. Batman's partner had killed the Tim Drake in that other universe? Sure, Hal knew the current Robin had been trained by the League of Assassins and had probably killed before, for all that he was barely not even a teenager, but to hear that Batman's partner had killed Tim... "So, if he was dead, that's why no other Tim Drake appeared in our universe."

"Yes, but it also caused complications." Tim sighed. "I ended up with that Tim's memories. So not only was I myself, I was him, too. It was... god, Hal. I don't even know how to... I still have them. I'd hoped they would have gone away when I came back here, my own memories of being there are bad enough, but-"

"But you still have his memories and your own memories, and it's getting hard to tell what's what?" When Tim looked at him, Hal shrugged, "I deal with that sometimes, from when I was Parallax, and the Spectre." Hal paused. "Tim, if you want to talk, about anything, I'm willing to listen."

Tim's hands clenched. "Dick wants me to talk about it. I'm sure they'll all want me to talk, they'll say they want to listen, but they won't want to. If they knew... I can't be alone in a room with Bruce anymore, Hal. And it's not because of what he did. It's what the _other_ Bruce did. The other Dick. What they did to me, and to the other Tim." 

"What did he do?" This was not something Hal was sure he needed to hear, but Tim needed to talk to someone. If Hal hadn't been alive in that world, he was probably safe in Tim's mind. Someone who wasn't associated with that world, with what had happened to him. Someone who could hear the whole story and not trigger anything, as it seemed his adopted father and brother were doing.

"This." The index and middle finger of Tim's right hand came up to rest on his eye patch. "They did this. _He_ did this. To me and to the other Tim. Because the other Tim was following Batman and Robin, then Raptor, his heroes. Eleven years old, and Batman removed his eye for it. Then when he captured me, while I was working with Talia and her people... well, he thought I was that world's Tim, he 'objected' to me getting my eye back, and he took it again."

Oh God. No wonder the kid was having so much trouble dealing with Bruce, if every time he saw his mentor, he saw the man who took his eye. "Tim." He wasn't sure what to say.

"I... I should start at the beginning, somewhat. In that world, the Joker killed Robin, the first Robin, Dick. Batman... couldn't cope. So he planned to resurrect Dick by using a Lazarus Pit. But Ra's al Ghul objected to it, as he would - he prefers to use those for himself. So Batman killed him, too. And then he put Dick into the Pit, and brought him back, but darker. They were both darker. Then they started to take over Gotham's criminal element. Bruce Wayne became mayor of Gotham, the better to control everything, including how the police and everyone else responded to Batman's new agenda. Which meant replacing Gordon with someone they could control. They took over. And took that Tim Drake's eye along the way."

"What happened to Tim after that?"

Tim gave Hal a small smile. "He did what I would have done, what I did when my hero became too dark: went out and found a place for myself, found someone to train him. And who better to train someone who lost an eye than -"

"Slade Wilson." Tim had called out for him, according to Clark. The Kryptonian had mentioned that it hadn't been a cry of fear, but more of a need to ensure the other person was there. Like how a child would call out for a parent, Clark had said. Slade Wilson had clearly meant something to Tim, to both Tims, in that world. Had been a father figure to them.

Nodding, Tim took a sip of his water. "Slade took that Tim in, trained him, and after several years, they both hooked up with the League of Assassins and Talia al Ghul and her son, Jason Todd, who were waging their own war against Batman and Raptor for the death of Ra's al Ghul. So they started working with them. And...." Tim stopped and took a shaky breath. "Tim and Jason fell in love. The spent several years together before Raptor killed Tim in a battle. It hit them all badly. Slade, Jason, Talia - Tim was their family. The four of them were family. Slade and Talia had gotten together by that point, too. And then, during a raid on a Wayne Industries compound several years later, Jason found me, beaten and bound after I'd been transported to that world in the middle of a storage room. And it was hell for them, for me, for a while. Especially once I realized that I had their Tim's memories, of everything, in fits and starts. But now... coming back here, I have all of them, Hal. And I fell in love with Jason, too." Tim ran a hand over his face. "After losing my eye, Slade taught me to fight again, to be better than I was..."

"And he became your mentor, as much as Bruce is here, and Talia... I'm guessing she was a maternal figure for you, as well."

Tim nodded. "I was their family, too. Everything I'd wanted here, the father that Bruce couldn't be, that my father wasn't, the mother that I'd never had, the lover that I'd never had... I found it all there. And I couldn't stay, because I belong here, Hal. I belong here." Tim repeated that last softly, almost as if he were trying to convince himself of that fact. 

Hal didn't say anything for long moments. He watched Tim, seeing the younger man struggle with everything that had happened to him. He looked out the sliding doors to the Coast City sunset, drinking the last of his beer. "So," he said. "I'm ordering in Thai for dinner. I've got a spare bedroom that's yours for as long as you want it. And whether or not I tell Bruce that I know where you are, well, that's up to you," he finally said. "But Tim, for what it’s worth, I think that you should take the time to figure out where you belong, and if you decide that it's over in that other universe, well, I've been on the wrong side of the Guardians before, and I don't mind getting on their wrong side again to help a friend."

Tim looked up and blinked at Hal. "You... You won't tell Bruce?"

Hal shook his head. "Nope. He is looking for you, and worried about you, but if you don't want me to say anything, I won't."

Closing his eyes, Tim sighed. "He won't give up. He's Batman. He'll need to find out where I am. He'll get Superman or someone else to track me down. Surprised he didn't ask you to use the ring to track me down."

Hal gave Tim a grin. "He said something about asking John or Kyle to do it. I used the ring on my own, after I left the Watchtower."

"Explains why you weren't too surprised to see me on the couch." Tim finished his water. "If you really don’t mind me taking up space here..."

"I don't."

"Then I think I might finish my nap on your spare bed." Tim stood, not meeting Hal's eyes. "If you want... tell Bruce that you know where I am, but I don't want him knowing where. I'm not ready to deal with him."

"Understood. You mind Pad Thai for dinner?"

Tim shook his head. "That's good." He headed for the hallway to the bedrooms. "Hal... thanks. For everything."

"Anytime, Tim."

The former Robin disappeared down the hall. Hal waited until long after he'd heard the door to the spare bedroom shut before he pulled out his League communicator. "Green Lantern to Batman."

"I'm busy, Lantern."

"I found Red Robin."

That shut Bruce up quickly. "Where is he?"

"He's safe."

"Lantern."

"He doesn't want you to know where, Batman. After hearing what happened to him in that other universe, I can understand. It doesn't have anything to do with you, but what your bastard of a counterpart did to him." He wasn't sure Tim would want him to tell Bruce everything. 

Bruce's silence was surprised. "He talked to you?"

"I'm dead in that other world, Bruce. I guess I was safer to talk to, he doesn't look at me and see my counterpart. He's fine, just emotionally worn out. I'm no shrink, but I think he needs time to process, and being around the same people that were over there, well, it wasn't helping him. It just dragged up memories."

"He's my son, Lantern."

"He's also gone through something that would scare lesser men, Batman. He needs time."

"He's safe?"

"I promise I'll keep an eye on him. I'll yell for Superman if he disappears or if I need help."

Bruce went silent again. "Fine. But I want daily updates."

Hal rolled his eyes. "Will do, Batman." _Only as much as Tim is okay with,_ he mentally added.

"Batman out."

The call disconnected, and Hal shook his head before heading to the kitchen to order dinner.


	28. Opening Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim opens up to others... kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter. Now if Tim would tell me the endgame.... but he's being cagey.

Tim was still in Hal's apartment when he got back from work several days later. The younger man had a homemade dinner waiting for Hal as he walked in the door, a change in their usual routine of having dinner delivered.

"I could get used to this, though I don't think I should," Hal said with a small smile for Tim. Tim looked better for the time he'd spent in Hal's apartment, able to rest and recover and think.

"I wouldn't," Tim said. "You haven't tasted my cooking yet."

Hal got himself a beer out of the fridge. Tim, he noticed, had gone grocery shopping at some point. He chose to take that as a good sign that the younger hero was no longer remaining in the house all day. "Weren't you trained by Alfred?"

"You presume any of that training actually took." Tim shrugged. "I'm more of a computer geek than a kitchen geek."

"Anything should be better than my cooking."

"Or lack thereof? I saw all those leftover pizza boxes in your fridge." Tim pushed his bangs out of his eyes and sat down at the table.

"Between my job and the Corps, cooking is way down on my to-do list." Hal joined him at the table. "Fridge ends up looking like a science experiment, according to Kyle the last time he tried to look in there."

"He wasn't wrong." Tim handed Hal a plate with breadsticks on it, to go with the lasagna he had made. "It was a bit on the moldy side."

They ate in silence for a while. Tim finally set his fork and knife down and put his hands in his lap, staring at his plate. "Did you talk to Bruce?"

Hal put down his fork and knife as well, giving Tim his full attention. "I did."

"How did he take it?"

"About as well as you would expect. He demanded to know where you were, wanted to come get you. I told him that you didn't want to go home just yet."

"Did you tell him what he... what that other Batman did?"

Hal inwardly winced. That slip was telling. Tim was having difficulty separating his Batman from the bastard that had tortured him and that other Tim Drake. "I told him that we had talked and that you had told me what happened, what that other Batman had done, and that I supported you not being home for several days while working that out. I told him you were safe. He eventually accepted that. But he calls for daily updates." Hal gave Tim a small smile. "He’s worried about you, Tim."

"I know he is. I know Dick and Alfred are, too. But. I just." Tim took a deep breath, steadying himself. "I can't face him right now. I can't even _tell_ him why I can't face him."

Hal sighed. "There might be a way for you to tell him, without having to actually be there."

Tim looked up. "What do you mean?"

Hal held up his right hand. "The ring can record it and I can play it back to them, whenever you want me too. You can stay here while I go to the Watchtower or cave. Or you can go somewhere else. Go visit the Titans or someplace completely different." He didn't mention that he had already recorded it. He hadn't planned on showing that recording to anyone unless Tim disappeared again. But if Tim were willing to let Hal record it now, he'd have something to show the others when Tim said it was okay.

Tim stared at Hal’s ring for a moment. Then he bit his lip. "I suppose... He deserves to know. They deserve to know, what happened, why I disappeared. Why I...” he trailed off. 

Hal stayed silent. He was learning, with Tim, that waiting for him to speak was better than prompting him. It might take time before he did, but eventually Tim would speak.

"Why I haven't decided if I should stay here. In this world." He looked up, his one blue eye troubled. "This is my home, but it doesn't feel that way."

"I know, Tim. I know. And you know I will support you. I don't know how we'd get you to that other world without the memory problems that the device seems to bring, but we can try."

Tim nodded, but didn't say anything else until they were almost finished with dinner. "I think... I think if it's okay with you, I'd like to record my story, and let you play it for the Justice League and the Teen Titans. But I don't want to be there when you play it. I'm just not sure I want to be here, though."

"Wherever you want, I can drop you off. Within reason. I mean, I think a lot of people would be after me if I dropped you off with Ra's al Ghul." Hal stood and started clearing their dishes off the table. Tim cooked, the least Hal could do was the dishes.

Tim laughed at that, his right hand going to the silver bracelet. "I think I'd be okay there, I've got a trump card I don't think he'd be expecting. But no, I'd rather not deal with him right now." He got up and started cutting the lasagna, putting it into containers for leftovers. "Do you think..." he trailed off, a little wistfully, staring at the counter.

Hal stopped and watched Tim carefully. 

"Do you think Superman would let me stay with...?” Tim trailed off again, glancing at Hal, as if he were afraid to say it out loud. Hal didn't think Tim meant Lois, he wouldn't be as afraid of saying that. But Clark's mother, maybe...

"Couldn't hurt to ask him. Shall I call him?"

Biting his lip again, Tim nodded. Hal nodded back, raising his ring. "Green Lantern to Superman."

"Superman here."

"Hope I'm not bothering you, but if you could spare a few moments, I've got a guest who needs to ask you a question in person."

"What kind of guest?" Superman asked.

"A bird of the Bat persuasion," Hal said cagily.

"I'll be right there."

Tim turned toward Hal's living room. "Want me to let him in?"

"Only if you want to," Hal said. "Otherwise I'll greet him and you can finish the dishes. Explain a few things to him first if you want me to."

Biting his lip, Tim nodded and turned to the sink, taking the plate from Hal's hands. Hal nodded at Tim and went into the living room just as there was a knock at the door. Superman, in his civilian guise as Clark Kent, stood outside Hal's door. "Hal," he said, clearly looking through the walls to find Tim. His gaze stopped on the young man, though it was only through the wall.

"Clark, come on in."

"What's going on?" Clark asked once he was inside and the door was shut.

"Tim has a favor to ask of you," Hal said. "He's been here the past few days, and he's actually talked to me about what happened to him in that other universe." Hal gave Clark a shrug when Clark gave him a sharp look. "Turns out I'm dead in that other universe, so I don't have the same negative associations with what happened there that most of the rest of us do."

Clark nodded. "So, what kind of favor can I do for Tim?" His expression had Hal thinking that Clark would say yes to just about anything.

"He's thinking of letting me record him telling what happened to him in that other universe, and letting me play it back to the League and the Titans, but he doesn't want to be alone while I’m off doing that, but he doesn't want to stay with anyone I've suggested."

"I'm sure Lois wouldn't mind the company," Clark said. "She's always liked Tim."

"I was hoping you wouldn't mind me staying at the farm," Tim said softly, hesitantly. "It's...quiet."

Clark smiled at the young man who stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. "I don't mind at all, and I know Ma won't, either. Do you want Krypto to stay there with you as well?"

"That would be great." Tim smiled, then paused. "If you want... to stay, while Hal records... I wouldn't mind."

Hal looked at Clark over Tim's head. He tried to convey to the Kryptonian how much that offer had to cost Tim. Clark looked back, then nodded, saying, "If you are comfortable with me being here, then I would like to stay. But if you need me to leave, at any time, then just tell me. I won't be offended."

Tim nodded. "Thanks, Clark." He turned to Hal. "Whenever you're ready."

"There's no rush, Tim. This is on your schedule," Hal replied.

"If I don't do it now," Tim said, trailing off. He moved toward Hal's chair, sitting down. His left hand started playing with the bracelet again. Clark looked at it, then looked at Hal. Hal sat down on the couch and Clark moved toward it, stopping to look at Tim.

"Tim, do you need a mask?"

Tim blinked. "I suppose I should. Just in case."

"I can take care of that," Hal said, letting the ring project a green domino mask onto Tim's face. Tim adjusted it a bit, then nodded at Hal. "Ring, begin recording of Timothy Drake, also known as Red Robin, on my mark." Hal looked up to see Tim straighten himself, looking more like Red Robin, despite the lack of cape or the cowl he had used.

"Mark." The ring sent out of beam of green light to capture Tim's likeness and words.

"When I arrived on that other world..."


	29. Deathstroke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Slade Wilson have a chat. Of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't leave Slade out of this.

As Hal and Clark discussed the best ways to bring together the Justice League and the Teen Titans to hear what Tim had said about his time in the other universe, Tim escaped to the roof of Hal's building, sitting on the concrete, leaning back on his hands as he watched the moon chase across the sky. He didn't stiffen at the nearly imperceptible sound of a booted foot on the roof.

"Drake."

Tim closed his good eye. He knew that voice. The man it came from had tried to kill him more than once, and yet the same man in another universe had been his mentor, his father figure.

"Slade." Tim didn't move. If Slade wanted to kill him, so be it. He heard the man's footsteps as he moved around Tim. He wondered how Slade had found him, and why he'd sought him out.

"Interesting new accessory, Drake."

"Not my choice," Tim retorted. He didn't look at Slade, though he could easily see him in his limited peripheral vision. Tim did shift just enough so that his bo staff was in reach.

"Funny that I didn't hear about it," Slade drawled, stepping a bit closer. Tim recognized the move from the Slade he'd trained with, so he was more than ready when Slade attacked. Staff out, deflecting Slade's own staff. Tim could see the momentary surprise in Slade's eye before the man went back to his usual self, attacking again.

Tim defended, sweeping around to attack Slade when he could. He knew he had no hope of defeating the man, but he'd gotten to the point where he could hold his own against his mentor Slade. This man wasn't his mentor, but that didn't mean that Tim couldn't at least do his Slade proud.

Slade tried for Tim's blind side, and Tim blocked and retaliated. Tim wondered how long the fight would go on. Superman still had to be in Hal's apartment, could he not hear the fight going on overhead?

Five minutes later it didn't matter, Tim was down, Slade's staff pointed at his throat. Tim stared at him, not willing to give an inch. He'd done his mentor proud, he felt. And not the mentor in Gotham. That was something he would have to think about alter, when he wasn't being held at staff-end.

"The Bat didn't teach you those moves," Slade said, eye narrowing.

"No."

Slade stepped back, watching Tim. Tim stood, staff still at the ready, the way Slade's was. "If I didn't know better," Slade said slowly, "I'd say I trained you."

"In a way, you did." Tim shrugged. "You in another universe, to be exact."

That got Slade's attention. "I suppose me in that other universe took your eye."

"No, Batman in that other universe took my eye." Slade stared at Tim, clearly not expecting that answer. "You just made sure I knew how to fight without it."

"Batman?"

"Not every universe is like ours. You're not on the side of the angels, but you're not the villain some people think you are here."

"You don't know anything about me, kid."

The use of the same word that his Slade had used as a term of affection hurt from this Slade, but Tim refused to let it show. "No, I don't. I only know him. And you are not him."

Slade watched Tim warily for a moment. "So what now?"

"Not sure what you mean."

"Going to try to take me in?"

"Superman can do that," Tim said with a shrug. "I'm out of the hero business at the moment."

"Didn’t think you were the type to give up because of an injury, Drake."

Tim narrowed his eye at Slade. "What part of 'An alternate universe Batman took my eye' didn't register with you, Slade? How easy do you think it is to work with him at the moment?" Tim stepped closer, his voice dropping. "I was _awake_ when he stabbed me with the scalpel and removed it, Nightwing was watching him, approving. You think I can trust him when I see _that_ in my nightmares?" Tim shook his head.

"So don't go back to him." Slade gave a slow smile. Before he could say anything else, Tim shook his head.

"No, I won't be working with you. I still see _you_ putting a gun to my head in my nightmares, too. Not to mention what you did to Bludhaven, and it was my city at the time, too, Slade. Don't forget that." Tim shook his head. "No, if I do anything, I'll probably end up going it alone."

"I don't want competition."

"You honestly see me becoming competition for you, Slade?" Tim snorted. "I thought you were smarter than that."

Slade smirked. "Maybe I'm just looking forward to the day you finally use everything that other version of me taught you."

"Not to kill." He'd seen enough, been a part of enough deaths in that other universe. He couldn't do that again.

"We'll see." Slade gave him a mocking salute and turned and ran for the edge of the building. Tim didn't follow him. 

"He really was your mentor in that other universe," Superman said from behind Tim.

"You think I would lie about something like that?"

"No, but... it just seemed odd."

"Nothing about that trip was normal, Kal-El," Tim said coldly. He was tired of people questioning him about what he said had happened over there. It had happened to him. He had lived it. He wasn't about to lie about something like that. Not when it was still screwing him up so much.

"If you're ready to go, I'll take you to the farm. Ma is expecting you."

Tim nodded. "I'll get my stuff." He headed inside. He hoped this would end those questions, this message he was sending with Hal and Superman. If not, well, he’d be tempted to go back to that other universe, even if it meant losing himself.


	30. Ma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim gets to chat with Ma Kent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, hi. No, not dead. The flash drive that had this story went missing for a year (literally, I lost it at Christmas and found it the next Christmas). And then real life hit. But, this is not entirely dead. And to prove that, have a new chapter!

Martha Kent put a mug of tea in front of Tim and sat down across from him, curling her fingers around her own mug.  Tim raised the mug to his lips, taking a sip of the tea.  "Thanks," he said with a genuine smile.

"You're welcome, Tim."  She didn't say anything else, letting Tim drink his tea and just enjoy the quiet of the farm. 

"I'm not sure I can go back to Gotham," he found himself saying.  It felt good to say it out loud.  He had been thinking about it, but hadn't been able to say it yet.

Ma's eyebrows went up.  "That's a big change for you."

"I know.  But.  I just don't think I can.  Not right now."  He looked up to see Ma frowning.  "It's a long story," he said, "and it wasn't Bruce, or Dick's fault.  It's just... things happened, and I don't know that I can go back now."

"Related to your eye?" she asked.  Ma had gasped when she saw him, then pulled Tim into a hug that he hadn't resisted.  When she let go, Krypto had been jumping up, trying to lick Tim's face, and he'd sunk to the floor to let him.  Above him, he had heard Clark and Ma speaking softly, Clark telling her that Tim had been through a rough time and needed a place to stay for a few hours while the League and the Teen Titans met.

Nodding, Tim shrugged.  "I lost it in Gotham, just. . . not ours.  But still.  The thought of going back."  He swallowed hard against the nausea that rose up in the back of his throat. 

"If you don't go back, then where will you go?" Ma asked.

"I don't know."

"You are welcome here, Tim.  I'm sure Conner would love to have his best friend living here."

Tim smiled at her.  "Thanks, Mrs. Kent."

"It's Ma, Tim."  She took a sip of her tea.  "Have you thought about going back to Gotham, but not to the manor?  Getting your feet wet by wandering around the city for a while?  Or do you think that wouldn't be possible now?"

Tim considered the idea.  Thought about walking around Gotham, as himself, or in disguise.  Thought of catching a glimpse of Batman and quickly shook his head.  "I don't think I can go back to Gotham at all right now," he said, clutching his mug.  "I don't know what I'm going to do, but not Gotham."

"Well, here is still an option," Ma said, reaching out again to pat his hand.  "Or I'm sure someone else will make an offer.  Clark and Lois, perhaps."

"I might stay with Hal, if he'll let me," Tim said.  "He's... less complicated, for me.  Fewer memories."

"Well, it's good that you have someplace to stay.  No matter where it is.  And you are _always_ welcome back here, Tim."

Tim gave her a genuine smile, rubbing behind Krypto's ears as the dog nuzzled at his leg.  "Thanks, Ma.  I really appreciate that."


End file.
